ALEXANDRIA, VA — In response to a bill recently introduced in the Washington state Legislature that would prohibit the sale of plastic water bottles that are sized 1 liter or less, the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) released a statement January 15 saying the bill unreasonably targets plastic bottled water containers and will make it “more difficult for consumers to drink a very healthy beverage choice.”

The bill, also known as HB 2422, was scheduled for a public hearing before the state of Washington’s House Select Committee on Environmental Health on January 16.

The “… passage of HB2422 will make it more difficult for consumers to drink bottled water in small, convenience-sized plastic containers by forcing them to purchase their bottled water in neighboring states. This may result in lost jobs and capital investment and may bankrupt many small, struggling Washington companies,” the IBWA stated.

The IBWA noted in its statement that plastic beverage bottles are “among the most recycled packaging in this country and beverage companies continue to reduce the amount of plastic used in their packaging. Rather than focusing on one beverage choice, it would make more sense for government officials to focus on improving recycling rates for all consumer packaging and still make available the healthful benefits of bottled water consumption.”

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