Refills Not Landfills on the Coastside?!

<p>In March of <strong>2014, San Francisco&nbsp;became the first U.S. city to ban the sale of singe-use water bottles at city events and on city property.</strong></p><p>Perhaps the most important detail in the city&rsquo;s ban on bottles was the implementation of<strong> refill stations</strong> into the community infrastructure.&nbsp;Refill stations&nbsp;allow people to <strong>conveniently carry canteens and access purified public drinking water.</strong></p><p>Corey Jones, of San Luis Obispo's <a href="https://onewithnatureco.com/" target="_blank">One With Nature</a>, started a <a href="http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/refills-not-landfills" target="_blank">petition</a> on January 11, 2016 to show support to the&nbsp;San Luis Obispo City Council&nbsp;in their&nbsp;consideration to adopt an ordinance similar to the one put forth by the City of San Francisco.</p><p><strong>Reasoning for the proposed ordinance: &nbsp;</strong>Single-use water bottles have been established as a societal norm, and a waste steam worthy of concern is resulting from the industry&rsquo;s growth.</p><p>The International Water Bottle Association reports a <strong>2150% increase in the average American citizens consumption of bottled water</strong> since its introduction into the marketplace in 1976. Out of that stems a legitimate problem as The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that nearly 4 out of 5 single-use bottles go un-recycled in the U.S.</p><p>Annually this leaves <strong>40 billion bottles to end up in our landfills</strong> or in our environment.(PET plastic bottles take anywhere from 400-1000 years to degrade.)</p><p>This issue is something that derives primarily from the need for convenience, but is a waste stream that could be tackled if <strong>people opted for the more financially and environmentally responsible reusable bottle.</strong></p><p>Refill stations are not part of&nbsp;the Coastside&nbsp;infrastructure. This ordinance would call for their implementation allowing people to conveniently opt for the more responsible alternative. <strong>Sign the Petition if you like the idea!&nbsp;</strong></p>