The South Lake Tahoe City Council has adopted a single-use plastic water bottle ban, effective April 22, 2023 for city facilities and permitted, temporary activities and special events. The ban will expand to sales citywide on April 22, 2024, allowing businesses additional time to prepare for this shift.
The ban will prohibit the sale of single-use plastic water bottles less than one gallon with an exception for emergency situations designated by the City Manager.
Through the course of an ongoing study, the University of California Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Resource Center (TERC) recently found plastic in almost every sample taken from beaches around the Lake.
“We aim to find ways to support an already roust ‘Drink Tahoe Tap’ marketing campaign and look forward to working with our business community to help them embrace this opportunity to participate in the stewardship of Lake Tahoe,” said Sara Letton, the City’s Sustainability Coordinator. “The community really stepped up to overwhelmingly support this at the first City Council presentation, but we also heard loud and clear from our business community that they are looking for some support as the ban is implemented.”
The City says it plans to install water bottle refill stations at strategic locations throughout the community over the next couple of years and will work with local partners on outreach and education to drive behavior change toward refilling with tap water.
Alternatives to single-use plastic water bottles are readily available in the market, including 100% recyclable aluminum single-use water bottles. “Most people might remember the adage ‘reduce, reuse, recycle.’ Consider that a prioritized list of actions,” Letton continued. When it comes to sustainability, “reduce” is always the most sustainable choice. Introducing visitors to South Lake Tahoe’s award-winning tap water is one of the many excellent experiences the City hopes to provide its residents and guests.”
(City of South Lake Tahoe contributed to this report.)
