Grand Canyon National Park bans sale of plastic water bottles
The National Park Service is banning the sale of plastic water bottles within Grand Canyon National Park, more than a year after the move was announced and then put on hold after Coca-Cola - which bottles water under the Dasani brand - raised concerns about the plan.
The new restrictions take effect within 30 days, and follow the example of Utah"s Zion National Park, which launched a similar program in 2008, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which offers water stations and encourages visitors to bring their own bottles or buy a stainless steel reusable bottle at the Kilauea Visitors Center.
Discarded plastic bottles account for about 30% of the Grand Canyon"s total waste stream, according to an earlier park service estimate, and a park official said bottles are the single biggest source of trash found inside the canyon.
The Grand Canyon has installed 10 water filling stations on the South Rim and three on the North Rim, and some of the park"s concessionaires have installed similar facilities at hotels or restaurants.
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