San Francisco International Airport has banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles effective August 20, 2019. While well-intentioned, the policy unnecessarily penalizes water drinkers while overlooking a better pro-environmental alternative.
I am trying to approach this issue from a pragmatic perspective. The point is not to demonize the airport for trying to be good stewards of the environment. Whether on the left, right or anywhere in between, everyone should want to conserve and be good stewards of the environment. So I’m with SFO when it comes to the ultimate goal: creating a cleaner and more sustainable world. We all should be.
But I deeply question whether banning water bottles is a way to advance that goal. I’ll give you an analogy.
California “banned” single-use plastic bags in 2016. Now, grocery stores will sell you a plastic bag (just a tad thicker, but still essentially single use) for 10 cents. I’m in San Diego this weekend and noticed that the streets around the grocery store were littered with these bags. So now instead of thin plastic bags harming baby seals, thick plastic bags will harm baby seals even more. I’m not even being facetious. The plastic bag ban constituted a wealth transfer from consumers to grocery stores, penalizing consumers for what is at most a token gesture to the environment. The problem persists. 10 cents is not a sufficient deterrent. Paper bags also pollute. Check out this NPR report.
Returning to the water bottle ban at SFO, we face a similar dilemma. As One Mile at a Time also notes,
- Why is water targeted and not all plastic bottles? Won’t this encourage more soda consumption?
- Why are flavored waters exempted from the new ban?
- Will there not be a whole lot of broken glass if glass water bottles become the new norm?
- What are the environmental ramifications of producing and transporting glass bottles versus plastic bottles?
So what then? What can an airport do that wants to virtue signal its support for the environment in a place that depends upon pollution (airplanes) to survive? (Now I’m being facetious)
The Solution: Tax It More
I am against most bans and bottled water is one of them. The solution is to tax it, not ban it.
Why is it that the CRV (California Redemption Value) on water bottles is only five cents? This is a deposit levied at time of purchase. Why not raise that to a meaningful level to discourage behavior, like the tax on cigarettes? If these deposits are recast as non-refundable carbon offsets, people could still drink water in the manner in which they choose with a more positive environmental impact. Put a 25 cent tax on each bottle to be reused for cleaning the environmental and you will still have people buying a lot of water. But that will also move people to voluntarily bring their own bottles and/or use airport drinking fountains. Meanwhile, continue to invest in technology and education that will render plastic bottles useless by customer choice, not government fiat.
CONCLUSION
I’ve never bought a water bottle at an airport before, primarily because it is obscene to pay upwards of $3 for a bottle of water (and I have lounge access generally). If San Francisco deems plastic such a critical threat, why not tax all plastic bottles, evening the water versus soda playing field, and funding actual environmental stewardship, not token efforts instituted for self-congratulations?
What do you think about the plastic water bottle ban at SFO?
you are seen to be very selective about the environmental concern. yes, plastic is a source of pollution but there are just as many sources just as damaging. let me point this out to you when you write about the wonderful meals you had in F or J and that you would choose meat over any vegetable choices. your choice of meat dishes is the source of the biggest pollution to the environment.
Which is an argument against banning plastic bottles, not in favor.
Living in the Bay Area it just gets worse every year with the political nonsense. The ban is ill conceived and soda, which is far more detrimental to public health, is ok. Crazy. Folks I hate to say it, but its this kind of stuff that will keep Donnie in office. How far must we go without common sense.
they already charge a recycle charge on all bottles plastic glass etc and it $$$ to live with all of the other taxes in calif this will not help the real problems of large cities full of illegals and homeless using all of the taxpayers hard earned $$$$$ NUTS and Nutty politicans in calif
We need social credit system like China. People that litter should lose privileges down to being forced into labor camps to pay for your existence.
People that have more kids than they can afford should be sent to labor camps too.
I never understood the need to even take your own bottle of water on board. There are plenty of water fountains post security and they serve you drinks just minutes after the flight takes off (it’s your own fault if you choose dehydrating alcohol instead of water). On longer flights even in economy, they give you big bottles of water, as much as you want. I’ve never taken a bottle of water on board. Why waste your money?
Tap water is, has been and always will be disgusting. Until they figure out how to pump Fiji Water through those fountains, I’ll not be doing what’s suggested.
Fiji offers reusable bottles, I can go that route if I have to, but you can’t bring your own bottles through TSA.
That’s why it’s a problem – you can’t bring your own option. And risking a Flint situation is not an option.
Where do you live in LA where they don’t charge CRV on water bottles? CRV is charged on plastic water bottles in San Diego and when I used to in the SF Bay Area. I was also charged CRV when I bought a bottle at LAX. https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/bevcontainer/programinfo/BasicsCRV/
I clarified the above.
In the city where homeless people control the place and take a dump on the stinky streets in daylight, where people smoke crack and inject drugs on themselves on daylight (nobody told me this, I saw it in person many times(, the plastic water bottle is the problem. What a BS place that San Francisco has become. I avoid it like the plague.
Oh yes because they are connected. People love to rag on SF but the fact is they take a proactive stance to many thing even if they are in popular at the time. Single use plastic is destroying the environment. It’s high time we stop.
I’m guessing they aren’t going to allow glass bottles (for safety), but rather the shops will sell cardboard water containers and water in cans.
One reason why water bottles have been targeted is because they are “cleaner” and therefore easier to recycle, Matthew.
Another reason for the ban is something about which I am not yet fully knowledgeable: what is known as “the recent collapse of the plastic recycling market”.
I touch on both issues — and others — in this article…
https://thegate.boardingarea.com/sale-of-single-use-disposable-plastic-water-bottles-banned-by-san-francisco-international-airport/
…and as much as I am against “government fiat” as you are, I am not completely convinced that adding a tax is the answer, as other issues are potentially associated with that potential solution — and that includes politics, unfortunately.
I have recently found that with the overall issue of the problem of what happens to single-use plastics once they are used, there is more information which I need to learn — but ideally, what I would like is a solution which is easy on the consumer, reasonably cost effective, beneficial to the environment, and not tangled up in some political quagmire.
Thanks Brian. I’ll review your article!
Single use plastics will soon be a thing of the past. The EU is banning nearly all of them.
No one who wants water is buying soda, and SFO provide a TON of water refil stations.
No regulatory policy is perfect right out of the gate, and only rich white brats tend to be the ones that point this out….remember asbestos? DDT? CFCs? Same arguments were made (by rich white brats) when those bans were first rolled out.
Get used to it and get over yourself and your first world issues. Buy an aluminum bottle and fill it up!
Nice way to name call Dennis! It certainly bolsters your weak argument…
Stop the stupid TSA ban of people bringing water from home and nobody will pay $4 for a water bottle at the airport. I haven’t tried the water fountains at SFO but I can tell that in many airports the water on the fountains is disgusting and have a metal taste.
Meanwhile, people taking dumps in the street is no problem…
Yep. San Diego, LA, and San Francisco are a mess.
Seattle, too. Human shit, needles, people shooting up and selling heroin openly, everywhere. But no evil plastic bags, they got those banned!
So Matt you visited San Diego and saw plastic bags and now you’re a foremost expert in the effectiveness of the plastic bag policy in California? Since you don’t live here, you don’t shop in our markets and of course you wouldn’t know that a significant minority if not small majority of people bring their own bags to the market now. It has significantly cut down on plastic bag usage. And somehow you connect that with the bottle ban at SFO.
You do realize that you can bring your own bag, and many markets credit you for bringing your own bag. How is that a wealth transfer? It is altering consumer behavior gently towards a more sustainable path, and it works. The bags are thick because they are reusable – easily 20x or more. Also do you have evidence that thick plastic bags is more harmful to baby seals than thin ones?
I suppose you have significant experience in public policy and know that a tax will be more effective than a ban. A carbon offset with the tax? How does that translate to a change in behavior towards using less plastics? It is complete speculation on your part. This post is almost as inane as the measles outbreak one.
Stick to your core competency, which is travel blogging. Stay away from social commentary, where this blog fails time and time again.
I live in LA and always bring my own bag. And I do the grocery shopping for my family. I see the trash there too. And half the time people are still buying bags. I see this several times per week. So much for your theory.
Please see the study linked to in my post above. I don’t believe the best way to approach the problem is a ban. I explained why. You’re free to disagree. Not sure what your point is…
I’m based out of SFO and this is an absolutely ridiculous policy. What if you forget to bring your water bottle from home and then need to buy water at the airport? Buy a soda bottle and pour it out and fill it with water? How about those folks with health issues or immunocompromised who cannot drink out of the tap or filter water and need to drink from water bottle? California politicians don’t really think these matters through.
To Mr. Osborne re not understanding the need to bring your own water bottle: I can only speak for myself, but I always bring a Metal reusable water bottle when I travel. First, it can be a long wait from the gate to seating to taking off to the beverage service. Also, in my experience, even on long haul flights, the Large bottles of water aren’t so large and it seems as if FAs don’t always like to be bothered. All problems solved with my own water bottle!
1) Why do you think a 25 cent tax on bottles of water at the airport is enough to meaningfully decrease demand when the prices there are already so high and the demand is still there?
2) Packaged water will still be available; it will just be in cans, boxes, or compostable bottles.
2) How does this “penalize water drinkers”? Water is available for free throughout the terminal! (This is the rationale for the ban not applying to sodas, etc.) It only “penalizes” those that refuse to bring their own container, want to take water with them for later, AND are not ok with it being in boxes, cans, or compostable bottles.
4) Um, what is the story with those bags around the grocery store? Are you saying that people are paying 10 cents for a bag and then immediately throwing it on the ground once they get outside the store?
5) My understanding is that the the CA law requires stores to use the money collected in plastic bag fees to be used to pay for the bags themselves or on programs promoting the use of reusable bags, so the wealth transfer is not actually going to the stores (except for secondary effect of money they are no longer spending on single use bags).
I don’t want to debate the merits of this policy with you, but the solution you propose is kind of unfair to SFO, since you are advocating for a statewide solution. San Francisco alone can’t dictate California tax policy when it comes to taxation of plastic water bottles and it’s likely that they have limited means to set their own policy on that front to the extent it conflicts with state law. Sure your solution might be the correct one, but it’s somewhat irrelevant if it can’t be enacted without the sign off of the state of California.
I know you went to law school and understand how the law should work, but you sometimes fail to understand how the law actually works and you criticize plans that are less than ideal, but often the only real solution to the issue. Another example would be the time you suggested that Congress use its Commerce Clause power to regulate resort fees. That would be all well and good if the Senate was run by someone who wanted to use those powers to regulate anything.
It’s common to see double standards on this issue: people in premium cabins can access water via the lounge, post security and the restrictions on liquids, as well as being offered single use bottles on many flights.
Those in Y are forced to use vending machines to buy water, at a ludicrous premium ( not out of concern for the environment by the seller but rather reflecting captive audience greed), or to refill their own bottles from those unsanitary fountains, both in the terminals and onboard.
Bottled water is one of the greatest cons of recent times: the product is no better than that coming out of a tap ( with some notable exceptions) and in many cases it’s worse.
Airport authorities should ensure that everyone has access to water from sanitary filling stations. So should airlines.
Single use bottles should be banned completely.
I agree 100% with Matthew. This wont make any difference to the environment what so ever, just inconvenience people to a huge degree.
SFO claims it will wash the dispensers frequently and asks people not to put the lip of their container on the lip of the water dispenser. Ugh. This is why cruise ships order people to get a clean cup if they want another cup of coffee…..the norovirus and all. Guess I will buy water in glass bottles and put it in three plastic bottles that I will bring to the airport…..and recycle the glass at the airport……