St. Catharines is asking Coca-Cola to remove water from its vending machines at city facilities as council brings in an immediate ban on the sale of plastic water bottles.
It’s a first step in what council hopes will eventually be a ban on all plastic beverage bottles at city facilities to reduce waste and promote St. Catharines drinking water as a healthy alternative.
"I ask council to support what previous councils have been trying to do."
“To take a bottled water product away from a child and give them syrup, to me is just ridiculous.” Councillors voted 8-2 for the immediate ban in vending machines and concession stands, with St. George’s Coun.
"We’re not reducing the amount of plastic at all in our facilities, we’re actually just making people less healthy," Britton said.
"Although I support this for the environment, I just wonder which side we’re taking here," she said.
The agreement allows Coca-Cola to sell beverages in vending machines in city facilities and through the city’s third-party concession operators.
City staff reported that a ban on water bottles in vending machines and at concessions won’t result in material changes to the agreement, which includes a commission for the city from sales.
The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre will be allowed to continue to sell bottled water so its 40,000 annual visitors can purchase water if they don’t have refillable bottles with them.
The city said Niagara Falls, London, Burlington and Toronto have removed water sold in plastic bottles from municipal facilities.