Los Angeles Airport Bans Sale of Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 12:30 PM ET, Sun July 2, 2023

There is no gray area here. You are either for this decision or against it.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles. It is the second major airport to do so following San Francisco International Airport's similar ban a little less than four years ago.

It is clearly a nod toward the airport’s support of environmentalism.

LAX has installed 60 hydration stations throughout the airport. Justin Erbacci, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), said in a statement:

“Eliminating single-use plastic water bottles is the right thing to do for our airports, our communities and our environment. We thank L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti for leading the city’s vision for a better, more sustainable future and our Board of Airport Commissioners for taking action to achieve zero waste at our airports by 2045.”

It will be interesting to see how this ban plays out. Passengers are already not allowed to bring in bottled water at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.

The sale of reusable bottles for the hydration stations at the airport is likely to skyrocket.

It’s likely that LAX will soon sell reusable bottles. In the interim, vendors will likely make a fortune on the sale of concessions.

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