National Parks Push Forward on Plastic Limits Despite Political Tussles
Photo Credit: Sen. Harry Reid helped Lake Mead National Recreation Area celebrate its 50th anniversary Oct. 11, 2014 after around 150 volunteers cleaned up litter around Cottonwood Cove Marina. Lake Mead NRA Public Affairs
Skift Take
President Trump rolled back the Obama administration's limits on plastic bottles in national parks. But park advocates are confusing their efforts to reduce plastics on recreational land.
Many Americans back in 2011 had never heard the phrase "single-use plastics", and the concern over plastics' impact on oceans and wildlife had yet to become a topic of daily conversation.
Nonetheless, the Obama administration implemented a policy aimed at limiting plastic water bottles in major national parks, letting park superintendents figure out how to do so.
The limits were aimed at 23 of the 417 parks, which collectively attract more than 300 million visitors per year.
"When the Park Service started to put the ban in place, it was a big moment," said Sarah Barmayer, senior managing director of conservation programs for the National
Parks Conservation Association. The nonprofit group, founded in 1919, is designed to be a citizens' watchdog for the National Park Service.
Rather than winning approval from parks users, the policy initially caused some confusion over whether visitors could find water, let alone a safe and reliable supply, especially in more remote areas.
