San Francisco Airport Bans Plastic Water Bottles

This week, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) became the first airport to officially ban plastic water bottles—a rule that will take effect later this month. In an effort to become a zero-waste producer by 2021, the airport is actively removing all plastic water bottles from kiosks to comply with a plastic straw ban in accordance with San Francisco legislation enacted in July. Instead of plastic bottles, SFO has installed more than 100 bottle-filling stations to encourage travelers to carry eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic bottles. The airport also asked its vendors to provide compostable condiments packets, utensils, and to-go containers. Vendors at SFO sell 4 million plastic water bottles per year, a fact SFO hopes will drastically change with the enforcement of its new ban. “We’re the first airport that we’re aware of to implement this change,” SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We’re on the leading edge for the industry, and we want to push the boundaries of sustainability initiatives.” The airport has also partnered with more environmentally friendly food vendors, including vegetarian eatery Amy’s Drive Thru which now sells its completely veganizeable menu of pizzas, burgers, and milkshakes inside Terminal One.