In an unprecidented move, the North Carolina Legislature has enacted a new law that bans throwing away one-time-use plastic bottles.  This law, taking affect in fall 2009, is aimed at curbing increasing waste from plastic product such as water bottles, sode bottles, milk jugs and shampoo bottles.

The ban includes type 1 polyethylene terephthalate plastic, or PET, and type 2 high-density polyethylene plastic, or HDPE. PET materials include water and soda bottles, and HDPE materials include shampoo bottles and milk jugs. Bottles sold in the state contain a code on the bottom identifying its classification.

The law also bans oil filters and wooden pallets from being thrown away.Scott Mouw, state recycling director, said the law is designed to lessen the burden on landfills and boost the economy.”I think it’s really necessary. It’s a great way to create jobs, and it’s a great way to reduce our long-term dependency on landfills,” he said.Melanie Bruton, environmental programs coordinator for High Point, said the law won’t be aggressively enforced at a residential level.”In the city of High Point, we do not have a litter police. We’re not going to have someone to pick up those people, but these items have been banned from the landfill,” Bruton said. (more…)

On May 28, 2009 the Central Okanagan Regional District Board became the 50th municipality (and the 33rd in 2009) to implement restrictions on bottled water. The Canadian board noted the bottled water continues to cause numerous environment problems.

This is another big win for Canada and the Ban the Bottle movement!

Petrolia, California, a city near Ontario, is considering banning the sale of all plastic water bottles.  This move is aimed at curbing the effects of plasitc water bottle waste.  However, the mayor of the city is questioning the usefulness of such a ban:

McCharles concedes plastic water bottles are an environmental hazard if they aren’t disposed of properly. But he questions whether an outright ban is the answer.

“There’s definitely an environmental problem with plastic bottles, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “But if people were more conscious about recycling them, they wouldn’t be such a problem.”

Only 30% of all plastic water bottles are recycled.  That means millions of wasted bottles end up in landfills each year.  We encourage the citizens of Petrolia to write their mayor and voice their support of banning the bottle as well as recycling as there are benefits to doing both.

Washington University has recently launched a ban on plastic water bottle sales amid environmental concerns.  Faculty, students, and staff on the Danforth, North, and West campuses are no longer able to find bottled water in vending machines or campus eateries.

Because of concerns about the environmental impact of bottled water, the University has ended sales of the product, and administrative offices will no longer offer bottled water at events and meetings. Instead, faculty, staff, students, and guests are encouraged to drink tap water and use reusable water containers.

“Plastic bottled water represents significant energy and waste issues,” said Matt Malten, assistant vice chancellor for sustainability. “It requires tremendous amounts of energy in production, packaging, transportation and recycling. National statistics show that the rate plastic bottles are recycled is low and getting lower, as more end up in landfills,” Malten said. “Members of the Washington University community all have access to healthy water from a tap, and drinking tap water eliminates the generation of solid waste and energy usage to produce bottled water.”

The tap water in St. Louis was rated as best in the country by the U.S. Mayor’s Conference in 2007.  Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration, has requested that the deans of each of the University’s schools stop offering bottled water at their school’s events. Tap water is readily available on the Danforth, North, and West campuses, said Liz Kramer, a fellow in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration. Nearly all buildings on campus feature multiple drinking fountains, and cold-water containers are located in Holmes Lounge and Whispers Cafe in Olin Library. Kramer is in the process of mapping the locations of additional fountains on the Danforth Campus.

Reducing the use of bottled water on campus is just one of many steps WUSTL is taking to reduce its impact on the environment. And it’s a step, said Deborah Howard, special assistant to the executive vice chancellor for administration, that the administration couldn’t implement without the support of others on campus — especially Washington University Dining Services and students, who led their own campaign to promote the use of tap water on campus.

Last October, during Campus Sustainability Week, students hosted water taste tests to show that there is little taste difference between bottled water and tap water. Students also sold reusable water bottles at the Danforth University Center.

WUSTL is the first university to ban the sale and use of bottled water in its administrative offices, dining services and vending machines, Kramer said. Even with the changes, faculty, staff, and students still will be allowed to bring their own bottled water to campus.

[via The Record]

Giving up bottled water isn’t always the easiest thing.  For many, bottled water is a mainstay of the home and office; breaking this habbit requires diligence.

Ecosalon has put together a great list on how to give up bottled water – here are some of the tips:

…one of the best things you can do for the environment and your wallet is to go back to tap water. You can install a water filter at your house if you like but really there’s no need – unless you’re living in the developing world and then you probably need more drastic measures, anyway. In countries like the United States, Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe, tap water is proven to be very pure, sometimes purer than the spring waters sold in bottles. (Tap water comes out quite well in blind taste tests.)

…if you’re going to drink from a bottle, make it wine. And if you cement one new habit in 2009 for the greener good, it’s got to be giving up the bottle.

How to Give Up Bottled Water [via Ecosalon]