Community & Labour Action

Canada: Public board to ban plastic water bottles starting in 2009

Posted: April 22, 2008

The Record. By Karen Kawawada -

Bottled water sat on the desks of some trustees and staff at a public school board meeting last night, but this will soon be a thing of the past.

Trustees voted last night to stop buying and selling bottled water in schools by September 2009.

Trustee Ted Martin argued there are huge economic, environmental, pedagogical and arguably health costs associated with bottled water.

"People who complain about spending $1.20 on gas are spending almost twice that on water," he said. It takes more water to manufacture a bottle of water than can be held in that bottle. What's more, nearly nine out of 10 water bottles aren't recycled, even if they're placed in blue boxes, because nobody wants to buy used plastic, Martin said.

"We're creating far more plastic than can be recycled. . . . We have to pay people to take it away."

It's a myth that bottled water is cleaner and safer, Martin said, arguing bottled water is held to lower standards than municipal tap water, which has to be tested far more often.

Scott Piatkowski, who has children in local public schools, urged trustees to break new ground by going ahead with the ban. In previous meetings, the board's environmental advisory committee heard about schools elsewhere that have banned bottled water, but not whole school boards.

"If our children . . . leave (school) with the impression water is something that comes in a bottle rather than something that is part of our earth, we're selling ourselves short," Piatkowski said.

Trustee Kathi Smith wanted more study first. There are concerns about low levels of pharmaceuticals being found in tap water, and some parents would be concerned their children might get infections from water fountains, she said.

Director of education Linda Fabi said the board needs to look into its contractual obligations with bottled-water suppliers and what can be done to replace revenues now generated through in-school water sales.

Trustee Colin Harrington pointed out staff will have nearly a year and a half to come up with a plan.

"It's never too early to do the right thing and this is obviously the right thing," he said.

No trustees voted against the ban, but Smith and Pat Adamson abstained.

kkawawada@therecord.com