“To encourage reduction of disposable plastic products in units of the National Park System, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section directs the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) to establish, not later than 180 days after enactment, a program to reduce—and if applicable, eliminate—the sale and distribution of disposable plastic products (i.e., disposable plastic beverage bottles, carryout bags made from film plastic, plastic food ware including products marketed as compostable or biodegradable, and expanded polystyrene products) in units of the NPS, with implementation by each regional director for park units in their region. Regional directors must eliminate such sales to the greatest extent feasible after considering specified factors (e.g., operational costs and benefits, waste reduction, infrastructure and funding for bottle refill stations, contractual implications with concessioners, visitor safety, and input from concessioners and the NPS Office of Public Health); units that already do not sell water in disposable plastic bottles may continue that practice. The section further requires (1) a proactive visitor education strategy addressing water availability expectations and program rationale; (2) consistent implementation across each unit, including in concessioner agreements; and (3) biennial evaluations of public response, visitor satisfaction, buying behavior, public safety, and disposable plastic bottle collection rates, with results submitted to the Director and Secretary of the Interior.