Create More Public Water Refill Stations in California!

AB 1953 (Maienschein) would require, by January 1, 2025, the owner or operator of a transit hub, local park, public building, publicly owned building, shopping mall, or municipal golf course to install and maintain at least one or maintain at least one existing, accessible water bottle refill station. 

Background 

Since surpassing soft drinks by volume consumed in 2016, water continues to be America’s most popular packaged drink. Americans consumed 15 billion gallons of bottled water in 2020, up 4.2 percent from 2019 (compared to a 3.7 percent increase the previous year). This means, on average, each American drank 45.2 gallons of bottled water in 2020, a 3.5 percent increase over the previous year. 

The Problem

Recycling is a broken system and we can’t recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. The U.S. recycling collection rate of plastic bottles is less than 30% (29.7%), which translates to roughly 6.88 billion plastic bottles that were littered or went into a landfill in 2016. Additionally, only 3 of the 7 types of resins used for plastic bottles are readily recyclable due to economic returns. Plastic bottle caps and rings continually show up as one of the top ten items collected during Surfrider’s Beach Cleanups. 

Bottled water also does not guarantee a clean drinking water source. A study in 2017 showed that of the 259 total bottles processed, 93% showed some sign of microplastic contamination. 

Solution

AB 1953 makes it easier to access clean drinking water and use a refillable water bottle, leading to the reduction and reliance on single-use water bottles. We need to reduce our bottled water consumption and stop production at the source. It will also save people money since they won’t have to buy single-use water bottles while protecting our environment. 

Sign the Action Alert urging your representatives to support AB 1953!