Reducing Plastic Pollution in the North State

Bottle refill station for famous Mt. Shasta water

In October, Mt. Shasta’s Parker Plaza will be home to a new drinking fountain and water bottle refill station. Community members and visitors alike will be able to refill their own reusable water bottles with pure, world famous Mt. Shasta water for FREE and there will be a drinking basin for pets.

The effort to install the station was a collaborative effort between Mt. Shasta City Beautification Committee and Planning Department and the local non-profit, We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review, which raised funds for the purchase and installation of the station.  Major funders included Plastic Oceans International and The McConnell Fund of the Community Foundation of the North State and local community member donations via W.A.T.E.R.

Encouraging everyone to reduce plastic pollution

The station is part of a broader program by W.A.T.E.R. to encourage community members and visitors to reduce plastic pollution.  Why?  Plastic pollution has become a global problem polluting water, soils, even the food we eat and the air we breathe, posing a threat to wildlife and human health.

Plastic recycling is not a solution

Whereas recycling has been promoted as a solution to plastic pollution, the reality is that plastic recycling is virtually a myth created by the plastic production and packaging industries to transfer responsibility for the pollution created by their products to the consumer.  Shockingly, less than 9% of plastic ever made gets recycled or reused in other products. As a result, 79% ends up in landfills and the massive plastic waste gyres polluting the ocean and its wildlife–annually, ten million tons of plastic are dumped into the oceans alone.  The remaining 12% is burned in other countries releasing toxic air pollution. Fifty percent of all plastic produced is for single-use purposes, used once and then thrown away.  And, during the Covid-19 pandemic, sadly, the world has seen a staggering 30% increase in plastics pollution.

Refillable water bottles help reduce greenhouse gas

The refill station offers citizens the opportunity to reduce their plastic waste by providing a place to refill their own reusable water bottles.  In addition, using a refillable bottle, instead of buying water in single-use plastic bottles made from petroleum products, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are leading to global warming.

Tips to reduce household plastic waste

W.A.T.E.R. has also collected tips for how to reduce common household plastic waste:

Avoid buying unnecessarily packaged products like fruit and vegetables–choose the LOOSE produce and put it in your reusable, natural fiber produce bag (e.g., cotton, paper, etc);

Buy in bulk as much as possible, taking your reusable bags and glass bottles to contain the products;

Store leftover foods in glass bowls covered with plates, and reuse glass jars from previously purchased food items (peanut butter, pasta sauces, etc.), rather than buying plastic food storage containers;

Cook from scratch to eliminate pre-packaged processed foods;

wrap melons, lettuce and other veggies in a wet cloth or tea towel instead of plastic wrap;

Avoid using plastic garbage can liners (line with paper or nothing at all). 

More efforts to reduce plastic

W.A.T.E.R. volunteers also conducted and delivered a survey asking local retailers to offer to consumers more products that are neither made of nor packaged in plastic.  In addition, volunteers participated in the public comment process to draft federal legislation to stop plastic pollution.  Visit W.A.T.E.R.’s web site at http://www.cawater.net to learn more about all these efforts.  And W.A.T.E.R. invites you to stop by Mt. Shasta’s Parker Plaza to refill your reusable water bottle!