Bottled Water Industry Boiling Over SF Ban

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The bottled water industry is out to defend its reputation after San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom banned bottled water at City Hall.

City officials said they enacted the ban this summer because not enough people were recycling the containers, and tap water from Hetch Hetchy is some of the best in the nation.

"Even if people do recycle, a lot of those bottles still end up in the waste. There's also the cost of moving those bottles of water. It takes a lot of fuel and trucks and ships too to bring that water," said San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Manager Susan Leal.

The water industry argues that it’s irresponsible for San Francisco and other cities to dissuade people from drinking bottled water. International Bottled Water Association CEO Joe Doss pointed out that they've started using lighter plastic to ease the environmental impact.

"The amount of resin needed to make the bottled water containers has been reduced by about 40 percent over the past five years," said Doss.

KCBS’ Holly Quan has more