At the Fort Dodge Airport, bottles are being replaced with aluminum cans. Aluminum cans are 100% recyclable, which is not true for recycled plastic, according to Rhonda Chambers, FD Regional Airport director of aviation. In another effort to reduce its plastic footprint, Chambers said the airport is replacing single-use plastic water bottles with a water cooler system. “Our small terminal does not have vending machines or access to water fountains once a person goes through screening,” Chambers said. “Passengers can get a drink of water using biodegradable paper cone cups and are highly encouraged to bring an empty reusable container to fill with water once they pass through security.”
Chambers said there’s something everyone can do to reduce plastic waste. “I see the amount of single-use plastic bottles thrown in our trash cans every day, even though the terminal offers an area with recycling bins,” she said. “It’s never easy to change, but we all can do something to reduce our plastic waste especially when you stop and realize there is an estimated 60 million single-use plastic water bottles thrown away every day in America taking hundreds of years to even start to break down.”