At the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting (June 22-26 2007 in Los Angeles), San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Salt Lake City Mayor Ross “Rocky” Anderson, and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak introduced a resolution that highlighted the importance of municipal water and called for more scrutiny of the impact of bottled water on city waste.

Click here to read the resolution.

Click here to read the press release. 

The resolution passed overwhelmingly despite lobbying from the bottled water industry.  As a result, the U.S. Conference of Mayors will pursue a study of the impact of bottled water on city waste.  “Momentum is building in support of our public water systems,” said Gigi Kellett with Corporate Accountability International. “Our mayors are standing up for the environment and standing behind public water systems.  The ripples of leadership will be felt in cities and towns across the country” commented Kellett.

Over the past decade there has been an explosion in the bottled water market, fueled by the tens of millions of dollars bottled water corporations like Coke, Pepsi and Nestlé spend on advertising every year. These corporations are changing the way that people think about water. Today, three out of four people in the U.S. drink bottled water, even though U.S. water systems are much better regulated than bottled water.

Growth in the bottled water market not only undermines public confidence in the government’s ability to provide basic serves, but it also increases municipal government waste disposal costs. Last year, at least four billion pounds of plastic bottles ended up in city waste streams. It can cost cities more than $70 million in disposal fees, not including the costs of collection, trucking and litter removal.

This resolution calls for a study of the impact of bottled water on city waste. It also places the political will of mayors behind supporting full funding of municipal water and is a critical first step toward keeping our public water systems strong. 

Our "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign challenges the marketing muscle and political power of bottled water corporations. It’s part of our larger Campaign Challenging Corporate Control of Water. For more on our campaign click here.