Reducing Waste in National Parks Act
The Reducing Waste in National Parks Act would require the National Park Service (NPS) to create and implement a system-wide program to reduce disposable plastic products within National Park units. Within 180 days of enactment, the Director of the NPS must establish the program and regional directors must carry it out in their respective regions. The bill aims to gradually eliminate the sale and distribution of disposable plastic products—especially disposable water bottles—where feasible, after weighing factors such as costs, waste reduction, water infrastructure, contracts with concessioners, and visitor safety. It also requires proactive visitor education, strives for consistent implementation across units, and requires biennial evaluations on public response, water availability, consumer behavior, safety, and bottle collection rates. The bill defines disposable plastics to include beverage bottles, certain plastic bags, plastic food ware (including those marketed as compostable/biodegradable), and expanded polystyrene.
Key Points
- 1Program establishment and implementation
- 2- The Director must establish a National Park System program to reduce disposable plastic products within 180 days of enactment, with regional directors implementing the plan for units in their region.
- 3Elimination of sale and distribution of disposable plastics
- 4- Regional directors should eliminate the sale of water in disposable plastic bottles and the sale/distribution of other disposable plastics to the greatest extent feasible, after considering a broad set of factors (costs, waste reduction, refill station infrastructure, concession contracts, operational costs, BPA-free reusable options, water availability, education, and public health input).
- 5- If a unit did not offer disposable water bottles before the act, the superintendent may continue to not offer them.
- 6Visitor education and program continuity
- 7- Regional directors must develop a proactive visitor education strategy to explain water availability, the rationale for the program, and how it will be implemented.
- 8- The program should be implemented consistently within each unit and integrated into concessioner plans and cooperating association activities where applicable.
- 9Evaluation and reporting
- 10- Every two years, regional directors must evaluate the program’s public response, visitor satisfaction with water, purchasing behavior regarding disposable plastics, public safety (e.g., dehydration or risks from drinking surface water), and bottle collection rates, and report findings to the Director and the Secretary of the Interior.
- 11Definitions and scope
- 12- Key terms include “Director” (NPS Director), “disposable plastic products” (bottles, film plastic bags, plastic food ware including compostable/biodegradable variants, and expanded polystyrene), and “regional director concerned” (regional NPS director working with the unit’s superintendent).