TRAVERSE CITY -- At a meeting Monday night, Traverse City leaders discussed a possible ban on disposable water bottles at public events that require a permit.
Mayor Michael Estes wants sponsors of any city event, including the National Cherry Festival, to provide reusable bottles that could be filled for free at water stations. Estes says, "Whether it's the National Cherry Festival or whether it's the Traverse City Film Festival of the Wine Festival or anybody else. We want to set up some type of standard, a higher standard in terms of waste treatment and disposable products. What we would like to do is encourage event promoters to address the issue based on their own philosophy. They could sell reusable containers, place water in the container, and have city water to re-fill these containers. We think of this as a revenue enhancer and promotional tool for all of these event promoters but its up to them to embrace that."
The reason behind the proposal is because the water bottles are often found littering parks and beaches following major events.
To check out the full report, and hear what the Director of the National Cherry Festival and the Founder of the Traverse City Film Festival have to say on the possible ban, click on the video above.
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There is a conversation about the possible ban on UpNorthLive's Facebook fan page.
