Sustainability subcommittee presses ahead on curbing single-use plastic water bottles at events

The Palm Springs Sustainability Commission’s Subcommittee on Waste Reduction is expanding outreach to event organizers, including Palm Springs Pride, Village Fest and Modernism Week, as it looks for ways to reduce single-use plastic water bottles at city-permitted gatherings.

Commissioner Donald Barrett drafted a document outlining the effort, and the subcommittee has compiled a list of stakeholders to contact. Members said city special events staff told them that addressing water bottles is not currently part of the city’s permitting process and is instead left up to individual event organizers and vendors.

The subcommittee is setting up a meeting with Pride organizers to better understand how vendors are brought in and who decides what they distribute. It was noted that Village Fest already requires vendors to show their packaging as part of the permitting process, which could be a possible model.

The city currently has no ordinance specifically barring plastic water bottles at events, though a citywide ban on single-use plastic bags is already in place. City staff said they would check what existing rules might already apply to single-use plastics at events.

While the city does not have a specific fine structure for smaller waste initiatives like this one, it must rely on the same code violations that apply to other sustainability ordinances. Any pursuit of fines specifically for single-use plastics at events would require action from the City Council.

Commissioners also discussed reaching out to Desert Water Agency, which has provided reusable water bottles at some events, to learn more about how it supplies them and whether that model could be replicated elsewhere.

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