Plastic Water Bottles will Kill our Children

[Joe Guy]

San Francisco is now going to ban plastic water bottles in order to prevent climate change...

S.F. supervisors back ban on sale of plastic water bottles
Marisa Lagos
Updated 6:13 am, Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Bottled water is one step closer to being passe in San Francisco, after the Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a measure that would ban the sale of the items at events held on city property.

The ordinance, approved unanimously, would prohibit the sale of drinking water in single-use bottles 21 ounces or less on city property, starting on Oct. 1 for indoor events and in 2016 for those held outdoors. The ban exempts footraces and other athletic events and gives food trucks and large nonprofits, such as the annual Gay Pride Parade, until 2018 to comply. It also allows some groups to apply for waivers and encourages the city to increase the number of water refilling stations in public spaces.

It must be approved by the board one more time before it can be sent to Mayor Ed Lee for consideration.

"We all know with climate change, and the importance of combatting climate change, San Francisco has been leading the way to fight for our environment," said Supervisor David Chiu, who authored the legislation. "That's why I ask you to support this ordinance to reduce and discourage single-use, single-serving plastic water bottles in San Francisco."

Chiu noted that it wasn't until the 1990s that there was a plastic water bottle industry, which is now a $60 billion a year business. He said one goal of the legislation is to get people thinking about the waste, much like the city's plastic bag ban, which has dramatically increased the number of consumers who use reusable bags.

"I want to remind people that not long ago, our world was not addicted to plastic water bottles," he said. "Before (the 1990s), for centuries, everybody managed to stay hydrated."
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[Lord Jim]

There's just no end to the micro-managing nanny crap in this burg...

[Guinevere]

The underlying premise, that individual servings of water packaged in non-reusable containers, is bad for our environment and our health, is right on.

We regulate food packaging every day. How is this different?

[Big RR]

Because it seems to target only one product; presumably soda, wine, even beer and other beverages can still be sold in the same containers. One would think it's better to promote the consumption of water among our overweight/obese society than to (unintentionally) push people to buying calorie laden beverages because they want the convenience of single use containers.

[Long Run]

A local government can issue a mandate -- ban large sodas, little bottles of water, etc. -- or it could go the other route and educate and entice the desired behavior. Most people here have a mess of canvas and paper bags in their car trunks so that they don't need a new bag when they go to the store, whether they are shopping in the one city with the plastic bag ban or in 20 suburban cities without a ban. Obviously, there will always be non-compliers, but do we need our governmental entities being such hen pickers (no offense Hen) to try to compel a behavior change among a few -- who will never change -- while the vast majority are willing to modify their behavior when the dots are effectively connected showing how their behavior impacts the community and world?

[Lord Jim]

hen pickers

I believe you meant, "hen peckers"....

Emphasis on the "peckers"....

[Big RR]

And speaking of peckers, next on the list are those individual sized condoms; we have to get the extra large size that are good for more than a single use. Roadsides are littered with single use condoms; let's try and keep our lovers lanes pretty.

[Joe Guy]

Great ideas!

Now the people of San Francisco can lead the way in showing the world how requiring people to buy everything in larger portions; including water, soda, beer, wine, condoms, candy, marijuana, crack, fast food and more - will ensure that climate change is not being affected by single serving containers being used by the good people of The City by the Bay....

[Sue U]

Considering where your plastic trash ends up, it's probably a pretty good idea.

[Lord Jim]

Is there some reason that plastic bottles that water is sold in aren't recyclable, like the plastic bottles that soda comes in?

[Jarlaxle]

Exact same bottles, both are 100% recyclable. (I work in the industry.)

[Joe Guy]

Would it be too much to ask that recycle bins be put out on streets just like the other trash cans? Also, I thought SF started recycling a couple years ago.

I recycle all my plastic water bottles and aluminum cans and get money back. I also recycle paint, motor oil and all other toxic products that can't be dumped with household and garden waste.

San Francisco would be more successful at recycling if people were given easy options instead of being told they just can't use certain containers. Instead the Board of Supervisors prefers to force their will on the people and give them no other choice on how to deal with issues like recycling, e-smoking, grocery bags, etc.

[Lord Jim]

Joe, in 'Frisco, most of the public trash cans that have been put out on the streets for the last decade or so, have a recycling section built right into the top of the can:



On top of that, we have an enterprising, hard working segment of the underclass that constantly scour public trash receptacles for recyclables for income...

In San Francisco, this idiotic bit of fascism is a solution in search of a problem...

Just more anal-retentive, micro-managing, nanny-state crap from a group of useless, self-righteous self-important blowhards who seem to get out of bed every morning asking themselves the question, "Okay, what new way can I find to fuck with other people's lives today?"

[Gob]

get out of bed every morning asking themselves the question, "Okay, what new way can I find to fuck with other people's lives today?"

Me too.

[Lord Jim]

Chiu noted that it wasn't until the 1990s that there was a plastic water bottle industry, which is now a $60 billion a year business. He said one goal of the legislation is to get people thinking about the waste, much like the city's plastic bag ban, which has dramatically increased the number of consumers who use reusable bags.

"I want to remind people that not long ago, our world was not addicted to plastic water bottles," he said. "Before (the 1990s), for centuries, everybody managed to stay hydrated."

Actually, Chiu may be on to something here...

I think the SF Board of Supervisors ought to impose a ban on all personal computers, laptops, tablets, and cellular phones...

They take up a hell of a lot of space in landfills, and have much more toxic components then plastic bottles...

And applying Chiu's "reasoning" and standard, we managed to get by without them before the 1990's too...

[rubato]

There are a lot of us. We are crowded closely together. We consume a lot of resources and our waste is a non-trivial problem.

I don't see how it could be objectionable, in principle, for a democratically elected government, the expressed will of the population, to try to mitigate the negative impacts we have on each other by channeling our collective behavior.

Many of the problems we are facing are new and have no known 'best solution' so it is appropriate to experiment so we can find which solutions work better.


yrs,
rubato

[Rick]

Thanks for validating my job, I regulate individual onsite wastewater in SE Arkansas

[rubato]

Its valuable work and contributes a great deal to our collective quality of life. Unfortunately things valued more when they are absent or ineffective are valued too little when they are present and effective.

When a problem goes away we forget it ever existed.

yrs,
rubato

[Guinevere]

The point isn't so much the recycling, although its hardly the panacea many think it is. The point is that single-use, single-serve packaging for water is an expensive, and toxic way to deliver the product. Its not that difficult to carry a reusable water bottle, just the way people carry reusable grocery bags. And you get water that's better for you, less expensive in terms of dollars and resources used to create the container, and with much less waste.

And yep, you can do the same thing with your sodas too. Or your iced tea, iced coffee, etc.

[Joe Guy]

The point isn't so much the recycling, although its hardly the panacea many think it is. The point is that single-use, single-serve packaging for water is an expensive, and toxic way to deliver the product. Its not that difficult to carry a reusable water bottle, just the way people carry reusable grocery bags. And you get water that's better for you, less expensive in terms of dollars and resources used to create the container, and with much less waste.

And yep, you can do the same thing with your sodas too. Or your iced tea, iced coffee, etc.

Do you have any evidence to support your claim that plastic water bottles are a toxic way to deliver the product and water from other sources is better for you?