Multnomah County bans water bottles at functions

Multnomah County has banned bottled water from all county meetings and functions to save money and reduce waste.

Instead, the county will serve tap water and encourage reusable water bottle use.

It's a small step -- predicted to save $20,000 to $30,000 a year -- but advocates see it as an important starting point in educating residents on the environmental, health and economic costs of buying water in plastic containers.

"Buying bottled water is more expensive than buying gas," said Commissioner Barbara Willer, who introduced the resolution. "I want to educate people that our water is safe and we should be drinking it for health reasons."

With today's vote by the Board of Commissioners, the county joined the national Take Back the Tap campaign to promote the use of tap water and to erase myths that bottled water is better. Local governments across the U.S. have dropped bottled water from functions, and some campuses, including the University of Portland, have banned the sale of bottled water.

Read more at OregonLive.com.

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