HR3604-119

What This Bill Does

The Reducing Waste in National Parks Act directs the National Park Service Director to establish a disposable plastic reduction program within 180 days. Regional directors must implement the program by eliminating the sale of water in disposable plastic products and reducing or eliminating other disposable plastic products to the greatest extent feasible. Before doing so, they must consider operational costs and benefits, expected waste reduction, bottle-refill infrastructure costs and funding, concessioner contract implications, concessioner possessory interests, station operating costs, utility and public-health testing needs, availability and cost of BPA-free reusable containers, effects on concessioner and cooperating-association sales revenue, water availability in concession food service, visitor education, public-health input, signs, safety risks from dehydration or drinking untreated surface water, and concessioner or cooperating-association input. Units already not selling water in disposable plastic bottles may continue. Regional directors must create visitor education strategies, implement the program consistently across the unit including concessioner operating plans and cooperating-association scopes of sales, and evaluate every two years public response, visitor satisfaction, purchasing behavior, safety incidents, and disposable plastic collection rates.

Who Benefits and How

National park visitors benefit from more refill infrastructure and clearer education about avoiding disposable plastic waste. Park ecosystems benefit if disposable plastic bottle, bag, and food-ware waste declines. Reusable container suppliers benefit from demand for BPA-free refillable bottles and alternatives. Waste-reduction organizations benefit from a statutory program targeting plastic use across National Park System units.

Who Bears the Burden and How

National Park Service regional directors must analyze feasibility, implement reductions, educate visitors, and evaluate outcomes every two years. Park concessioners may lose bottled-water or plastic-product sales and must adjust operating plans. Cooperating associations may need to change scopes of sales and visitor-facing merchandise. Federal taxpayers and park units may bear refill station, utility, public-health testing, signage, and implementation costs.

Key Provisions

• Requires NPS to establish a disposable plastic reduction program within 180 days.
• Requires elimination of disposable plastic water bottle sales where feasible.
• Requires feasibility review of costs, refill infrastructure, contracts, safety, public health, and concessioner impacts.
• Requires visitor education and consistent implementation through concessioner and cooperating-association plans.
• Requires biennial evaluation of public response, visitor satisfaction, safety, purchasing behavior, and plastic collection rates.