On 4 March, San Francisco’s board of supervisors unanimously voted for banning the sale and distribution of plastic water bottles on public property. The initiative, part of the city’s goal to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2020, follows previous restrictions on the use of plastics, including a ban on single-use plastic bags.

Following nine months of discussions, the legislation – which still has to be signed off by mayor Ed Lee later this month – is to take effect on 1 October and will apply to water bottles of up to 620 ml. From that date onwards, the sale of plastic water bottles for all indoor events held in the city will be banned. Outdoor events will be added in 2016, with certain exemptions for footraces and athletic events as well as food trucks and large non-profit, in place until 2018, by which time the ban will cover all events taking place on city property. Violators could face fines of up to USD 1,000.

Commenting on the ban, board president David Chiu said residents should instead consume tap water, adding that the production, distribution and disposal of plastic water bottles uses 2,000 times more energy than tap water. He also pointed out that San Francisco uses between 10-15m plastic water bottles each year. “It was not long ago that our world wasn’t addicted to plastic water bottles. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the now USD 60 bn plastic bottle water industry experienced an enormous growth based on massive marketing and distribution campaigns,” local media cite Chiu.

The legislation has been criticised by the American Beverage Association (Washington D.C.; www.ameribev.org), which issued a statement saying that, “Water is good for you, and people should be able to choose how they drink it – whether from a tap, a fountain or a recyclable container.” The group added that “Bottled water is the purest, safest and cleanest water possible.”