No More Single Use Plastic Bottles At Grand Canyon

Good news! Disposable plastic water bottles soon won’t be sold at the Grand Canyon.

Late last year, I wrote here about how Jon Jarvis, the National Park Director, blocked a proposed single-use plastic water ban. The idea for the ban had emerged after park superintendents completed an analysis of the park’s waste stream and found that plastic water bottles accounted for 30% and was the single largest item littered in the Grand Canyon itself.

However, in yet another example of corporate interests dictating policy, Coca-Cola, which distributes water under the Dasani brand and is a major donor to the National Park Foundation, objected to the plan, and it was withdrawn.

But on Monday, February 6, the National Park Service announced that it had changed its mind. The Service has now approved a plan to eliminate the sale of the bottles within 30 days.

Since Americans buy an estimated 28 billion plastic water bottles every year, and nearly eight out of every 10 of those bottles will end up in a landfill, translating to about a 23 percent recycling rate, this is great news.

Visitors can fill up reusable containers at water stations, though the ban doesn’t keep them from bringing disposable bottles into the park.

Who knows what went on behind the scenes? But both the National Park Service and Coca-Cola deny that the Coca-Cola Company had any influence on the Park Service.

Hooray for some good sense and some good news!

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Photo Credit: istock

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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David N.

9:47PM PST on Feb 29, 2012

Thanks for the article.

send a green star

Tom N.

9:05AM PST on Feb 29, 2012

Good for them! Let's hope this sanity spreads :)

Melania P.

9:25AM PST on Feb 28, 2012

It made my day!

Heather M.

5:46PM PST on Feb 27, 2012

Going for a walk near wetlands and parks there is plastic containers and bottles etc all around. Great that they are banned at the Grand Canyon and hopefully this will come into affect in other areas throughout the Earth also, the rubbish is so unsightly and takes away from the beauty.

Patricia G.

11:31AM PST on Feb 27, 2012

great news!!!

Ra S.

6:57PM PST on Feb 26, 2012

I'm still amused that people will buy coke without the syrup or carbonation and spend a lot on it. There are places where bottled water or a water filtration system is a good idea, and it's not a bad idea to buy some really big containers of water to keep on hand in case of an emergency. But bottled water doesn't tend to be any safer than tap water in most of the US. A good reusable water bottle that you can fill up again and again is the way to go.

Stephanie S.

2:46PM PST on Feb 26, 2012

Great news! I'm happy coca cola didn't succeed in bullying the park to keep their filthy bottles!

Angel C.

11:20AM PST on Feb 25, 2012

Thanks

Harshiita S.

9:49PM PST on Feb 24, 2012

great!!!

Nicole G.

2:53PM PST on Feb 24, 2012

Let's see how many coke cans now wind up in the park's waste stream. But it's a good start!!