Proclamation of the Albany County Legislature

Plastic Water Bottle Phase-Out at Albany International Airport

WHEREAS, The Albany International Airport Authority has a duty to protect the natural environment, the economy
and the health of its staff and visitors, and

WHEREAS, The airport receives drinking water from the Latham Water District which has a good and reliable water
supply system with raw water supplied by the Mohawk River, five wells located on Onderdonk Avenue
and the Stony Creek Reservoir. The Town of Colonie Department of Public Works Division of Latham
Water tests drinking water each year and maintains stringent disinfection treatment practices, extensive
bacteriological-quality monitoring, and high operational standards, and

WHEREAS, The people who work at and visit the Albany airport have an easily accessible alternative to single-use
plastic water bottles which is safe, tastes great and is available at no cost to the consumer, and

WHEREAS, Single-use plastic bottled water is expensive. Bottled water costs hundreds of times more than tap water.
The airport’s tap water costs less than half a penny per gallon, while, according to the International
Bottled Water Association, bottled water costs, on average, $1.11/gallon in 2016, and

WHEREAS, Single-use plastic water bottles are harmful to our environment. According to the Pacific Institute, the total energy
required for bottled water production is as much as 2,000 times the energy needed in producing tap water and it
requires three liters of water to produce one liter of water in the standard PET plastic, making bottled water a
significant waste of natural resources and contributor to climate change; In addition, plastic bottles and bottle caps
rank as the third and fourth most collected plastic trash items according to the Ocean Conservancy’s annual
September beach cleanups in more than 100 countries, and

WHEREAS, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has recently successfully phased out all sales of water sold in plastic
bottles on their premises, substituting water filling stations and water fountains and establishing an important
precedent for other airports around the country to lead the way in efforts to save consumers money, reduce waste
and cut single-use plastic, and

RESOLVED, That the Albany County Legislature requests the Albany International Airport Authority phase out all sales of
single-use plastic water bottles by working with its vendors to phase out sales similar to what was accomplished by
the San Francisco Airport. Airport vendors are encouraged to sell reusable water bottles.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Albany County Legislature requests the Albany International Airport
Authority install additional water filling station and or additional water fountains no later than April 22, 2020.

In witness thereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the County
Legislature of Albany County to be affixed on this 5th day of September, 2019.

_____________________________
Hon. Douglas Bullock
Albany County Legislator
Representing the 7th Legislative District