Owais Crawford
As part of its Zero Waste Goal and effort to reduce its environmental impact, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) banned the sale of water in plastic bottles in 2019. This means that travellers cannot buy plastic bottled water at the airport. However, SFO provides travellers with alternative options to access drinking water.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ban on plastic water bottles | Effective since 20 August 2019 |
| Approved bottles | Recyclable aluminum, glass or BPI-certified compostable bottles |
| Types of water banned | Purified water, mineral water, carbonated or sparkling water, and electrolyte-enhanced water |
| Types of water not banned | Flavored beverages such as sodas, teas, or juices |
| Vendors | Drop Water (an approved vendor with kiosks in both terminals at Mineta San Jose Airport) |
| Alternative options | Drinking from water fountains, bringing your own reusable bottle, or buying an airport-approved glass or aluminum water bottle |
| Number of hydration stations | Approximately 100 |
| Daily waste generated | Over 28 million pounds of waste annually |
| Daily water bottles sold | 10,000 |
| Biodegradation time for plastic bottles | 450-1000 years |
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What You'll Learn
- San Francisco Airport banned the sale of plastic water bottles in 2019
- Vendors can sell water in recyclable aluminium, glass, or compostable bottles
- Travellers can bring empty plastic bottles to fill at hydration stations
- The ban is part of the airport's plan to become zero-waste by 2021
- The airport generates 28 million pounds of waste annually, including 10,000 water bottles
San Francisco Airport banned the sale of plastic water bottles in 2019
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) banned the sale of plastic water bottles in 2019. The ban was announced on 3 August 2019 and came into effect on 20 August 2019. The ban applied to airport restaurants, cafes, and vending machines. The airport prohibited the sale of water in plastic bottles to reduce waste and advance its Zero Waste Goal. SFO aimed to become a zero 'waste-to-landfill' facility by 2021.
Before the ban, SFO generated over 28 million pounds of waste annually, including approximately 10,000 water bottles sold daily. Each airport guest created about half a pound of trash. The airport also installed nearly 100 water-bottle filling stations before the ban.
The ban required all airport retailers, restaurants, airline lounges, and vending machines to sell or provide water in recyclable aluminum, glass, or BPI-certified compostable bottles. Purified water, mineral water, carbonated or sparkling water, and electrolyte-enhanced water were included in the ban, while flavored beverages such as sodas, teas, or juices were not.
The ban on plastic water bottles at SFO was part of a broader effort to reduce single-use plastic consumption. SFO had previously restricted the distribution of single-use plastic straws and limited single-use food accessories such as napkins, coffee cups, and chopsticks. The airport also banned items with "unsubstantiated claims" about their sustainability, requiring water bottles with messages like "environmentally friendly" to be approved by the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI).
The move was met with some criticism, with some questioning whether the ban was truly green or just greenwashing. However, it was also recognized as a bold step towards environmental sustainability and a way to encourage manufacturers to reduce their use of plastic packaging.
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Vendors can sell water in recyclable aluminium, glass, or compostable bottles
Since 20 August 2019, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has banned the sale of plastic water bottles. This ban includes purified water, mineral water, carbonated or sparkling water, and electrolyte-enhanced water. The airport aims to reduce its environmental impact and become the world's first zero-waste airport by 2021.
Passengers at SFO can still buy water in recyclable aluminium, glass, or compostable bottles. Vendors can sell water in these approved containers, and vending machines may also provide water in these materials. Compostable bottles must be BPI-certified. This initiative is part of the airport's Zero Waste Concessions Program, which requires single-use and reusable beverage bottles to be recyclable.
The environmental impact of different beverage containers is complex. Aluminium cans are often considered the least harmful option due to their recyclability and lower energy-intensive production. They can be recycled endlessly with minimal energy, and no change in properties. However, the production of aluminium involves refining bauxite ore, which can pollute water in the countries where it is sourced. Additionally, the growing demand for aluminium cans contributes to the expansion of the bauxite mining industry, leading to increased energy usage and environmental destruction.
Glass bottles, on the other hand, are energy-intensive to produce and heavy to transport, resulting in significant carbon emissions. They contribute approximately 95% more towards global warming than aluminium cans. Glass bottles made from 100% recycled glass do not improve their environmental impact, as the recycling process still consumes a lot of energy due to the high temperatures needed to melt the glass.
While plastic bottles are lightweight and require less energy to transport, they degrade with each recycling cycle and often end up as long-lived waste in landfills or oceans. Plastic recycling also requires lower temperatures, reducing the energy needed. However, plastic cannot be endlessly recycled, and each recycling shortens the chains of molecules, leading to a point where it can no longer be recycled and becomes waste.
Overall, the best option is to reduce reliance on single-use packaging and introduce a system of reusing containers. SFO encourages travellers to bring their empty disposable plastic water bottles to fill up at the airport's free water fountains and hydration stations.
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Travellers can bring empty plastic bottles to fill at hydration stations
As part of its goal to become the world's first zero-waste airport by 2021, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has banned the sale of water in plastic bottles. This means that vendors, including vending machines, can no longer sell or provide free water in plastic bottles, a sealed box, can, or other single-use containers.
However, travellers can bring their own empty plastic bottles to fill at any of the airport's approximately 100 free water fountains and hydration stations. These stations are located in all terminals, both pre- and post-security. The hydration stations are cleaned multiple times a day by airport workers.
If travellers do not wish to bring their own bottles, they can purchase water in airport-approved recyclable aluminium, glass, or BPI-certified compostable bottles from shops at the airport. This includes purified water, mineral water, carbonated or sparkling water, and electrolyte-enhanced water.
The ban on plastic water bottles at SFO is part of a wider initiative to reduce the airport's environmental impact and advance its Zero Waste Goal. The airport generates over 28 million pounds of waste annually, including about 10,000 water bottles sold daily, and it is well known that plastic bottles can take anywhere from 450 to 1,000 years to biodegrade. By encouraging travellers to bring their own bottles or purchase non-plastic alternatives, SFO is taking a step towards reducing its waste and carbon emissions.
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The ban is part of the airport's plan to become zero-waste by 2021
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has banned the sale of water in plastic bottles as part of its plan to become the world's first zero-waste airport by 2021. The ban came into effect on August 20, 2019, and applies to all airport retailers, restaurants, airline lounges, and vending machines.
The airport's goal is to achieve zero waste going to landfill by 2021, reducing its environmental impact and the amount of waste generated by the airport and its passengers. SFO generates over 28 million pounds of waste annually, including about 10,000 water bottles sold daily, amounting to nearly 4 million plastic bottles each year.
As part of the ban, vendors are required to sell or provide water in recyclable aluminum, glass, or BPI-certified compostable bottles. This includes purified water, mineral water, carbonated or sparkling water, and electrolyte-enhanced water. The ban does not include flavored beverages such as sodas, teas, or juices, which can still be sold in plastic bottles.
Passengers at SFO have the option to bring their own reusable water bottles and fill them up at the airport's approximately 100 free hydration stations and drinking fountains, located in all terminals before and after security. This initiative encourages passengers to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic and make more environmentally conscious choices.
The plastic bottle ban is a significant step towards the airport's zero-waste goal and sets a precedent for other airports to follow suit, demonstrating that environmental responsibility can be successfully integrated into airport operations.
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The airport generates 28 million pounds of waste annually, including 10,000 water bottles
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) generates 28 million pounds of waste annually, including about 10,000 water bottles sold daily, which amounts to nearly 4 million bottles a year. This amounts to each passenger generating 1.4 kg (3 lbs) of waste, which is more than the daily average per person.
To combat this waste problem, SFO banned the sale of plastic water bottles from 20 August 2019. The airport is owned by the city of San Francisco, which aims to eliminate the sale or use of single-use plastic on city property. The ban also extends to private and executive airport lounges.
Passengers cannot bring their own water bottles through airport security, so SFO has provided approximately 100 free water fountains and hydration stations where travellers can fill up their empty disposable bottles. Vendors can sell or provide reusable recyclable aluminium, glass, and certified compostable water products.
The airport's Zero Waste Concessions Program requires single-use and reusable beverage bottles to be recyclable aluminium, glass, or BPI-certified compostable. SFO aimed to become the world's first zero-waste airport by 2021, which means diverting at least 90% of waste from landfills and incinerators by recycling and composting.
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Frequently asked questions
No, you cannot buy plastic bottled water at SFO. Since August 20, 2019, the airport has banned the sale of plastic water bottles as part of its Zero Waste Goal and plan to reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste.
You can either bring your own empty disposable plastic water bottle to fill up at one of the airport's approximately 100 free water fountains and hydration stations, or buy an airport-approved glass or aluminum water bottle.
You can bring any size of empty container to fill up at a water station. However, due to TSA regulations, liquids in a carry-on are limited to less than 3 ounces.
