Plastic Bottles Bill Authored By Bucks Lawmaker Clears Committee

NEWTOWN, PA — A bill that would encourage the use of reuseable water bottles was approved in the PA House State Government Committee on Tuesday.

House Bill 1169, which would require newly-constructed state buildings, as well as existing state buildings undergoing renovations to their water and pipe infrastructure, to install water bottle filling stations, now heads to the full PA House for consideration.

State Rep. Perry Warren, who got the idea for the bill after seeing a water-bottle filling station in an airport in 2017, said these stations promote better sanitary conditions and healthier lifestyles. It is better for both the economy and the environment than using a single-use plastic bottle, he said.

“Single use plastic bottles are easily bought, used, and thrown away without a second thought,” Warren said. “That, however, leads to many bottles finding their way onto the streets instead of recycling containers.

“In fact, during our community litter cleanups, plastic water bottles are the most common litter we find. And, even if not on the streets, the bottles wind up in a landfill, where the chemicals in the plastic seep into the ground. Worse yet, too many bottles end up in the ocean and waterways, polluting our waters and killing marine life.”

Although water-bottle filling stations are more common than they were just a few years earlier, Warren said H.B. 1169 is necessary to codify their use in state law.

House Bill 1169 would affect only buildings owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“This bill presents an opportunity for the Pennsylvania state government to lead and, hopefully, other organizations and businesses will follow,” Warren said.

Warren represents the 31st Legislative District in Bucks County comprised of Lower Makefield, Newtown Borough, Newtown Township, Upper Makefield and Yardley.