I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5533 
To encourage reduction of disposable plastic products in units of the National 
Park System, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2021 
Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. POCAN, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. TONKO, Mr. DEFA-
ZIO, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. COHEN, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. PAPPAS, 
Mr. LYNCH, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. SIRES, Ms. PORTER, Mr. 
NADLER, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. MALINOWSKI, 
Ms. JACOBS of California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. LIEU, Mr. THOMPSON of 
California, Ms. NEWMAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. 
MORELLE, Mr. LEVIN of California, and Mr. SAN NICOLAS) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources 
A BILL 
To encourage reduction of disposable plastic products in 
units of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reducing Waste in 
National Parks Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DISPOSABLE PLASTIC PRODUCTS REDUCTION IN 
UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. 
(a) PROGRAM
FOR REDUCTION
OF DISPOSABLE 
PLASTIC PRODUCTS IN UNITS OF THE NPS.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Director shall establish, for the National Park System 
a program for reduction of disposable plastic products 
and, if applicable, elimination of the sale and distribution 
of disposable plastic products under subsection (b). Each 
regional director shall implement the plan for park units 
in their region. 
(b) ELIMINATION OF SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF 
DISPOSABLE PLASTIC PRODUCTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each regional director con-
cerned shall eliminate the sale of water in disposable 
plastic products and the sale and distribution of 
other disposable plastic products to the greatest ex-
tent feasible in the relevant unit of the National 
Park System after consideration of the following fac-
tors, when applicable, with respect to the relevant 
unit: 
(A) The costs and benefits to the overall 
operations. 
(B) The amount of waste that would be 
eliminated. 
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(C) The infrastructure costs and funding 
sources for bottle refill stations. 
(D) Any contractual implications with re-
spect to concessioners, including considerations 
of new leaseholder surrender interest or 
possessory interest. 
(E) The operational costs of bottle refill 
stations, including utilities and regular public 
health testing. 
(F) The cost and availability of bisphenol 
A-free reusable containers. 
(G) The effect on concessioner and co-
operation association sales revenue. 
(H) The availability of water within con-
cession food service operations. 
(I) The ability to provide visitor education 
in the unit and online so that visitors may come 
prepared with their own water bottles. 
(J) Input from the National Park Service 
Office of Public Health. 
(K) The feasibility of posting signs so that 
visitors can easily find bottle refill stations. 
(L) Safety considerations for visitors who 
may resort to not carrying enough water or 
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drinking from surface water sources with poten-
tial exposure to disease. 
(M) Any input from concessioners and co-
operating associations within the relevant unit. 
(2) UNITS
OF
NPS
PREVIOUSLY
ELIMINATED 
SALE
OF
WATER
IN
DISPOSABLE
PLASTIC
PROD-
UCTS.—With respect to a unit of the National Park 
System that did not offer for sale water in dispos-
able plastic products before the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the applicable superintendent of 
the relevant unit may continue to not offer for sale 
water in disposable plastic bottles. 
(c) PROACTIVE VISITOR EDUCATION STRATEGY.— 
Each regional director concerned shall develop for the rel-
evant unit of the National Park System a proactive visitor 
education strategy to address visitor expectations of water 
availability and explain the rationale for the program and 
its implementation in the relevant unit. 
(d) CONTINUITY WITHIN UNIT OF THE NPS.—Each 
regional director concerned shall, to the extent possible, 
implement the program in a manner that is consistent 
throughout the relevant unit of the National Park System, 
including incorporation of such program into any agree-
ment with an organization operating within the relevant 
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unit, including a concessioner operating plan and cooper-
ating association scope of sales. 
(e) BIENNIAL EVALUATION.—Each regional director 
concerned shall, not less than once every 2 years— 
(1) conduct an evaluation of the program for 
the relevant unit of the National Park System, in-
cluding— 
(A) public response to the program; 
(B) visitor satisfaction with the availability 
of water; 
(C) buying behavior with respect to prod-
ucts sold in disposable plastic products; 
(D) public safety including information on 
cases of dehydration or exposure to disease 
from drinking from surface water; and 
(E) disposable plastic bottle collection 
rates; and 
(2) submit the evaluation to the Director and 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of 
the National Park Service; 
(2) the term ‘‘disposable plastic products’’ in-
cludes— 
(A) disposable plastic beverage bottles; 
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(B) carryout bags made from film plastic; 
(C) plastic food ware, including plastic 
food ware products marketed as compostable or 
biodegradable; and 
(D) expanded polystyrene products; 
(3) the term ‘‘program’’ means the program for 
recycling and reduction of disposable plastic prod-
ucts established under subsection (a); and 
(4) the term ‘‘regional director concerned’’ 
means, with respect to a unit of the National Park 
System, the regional director of the region of the 
National Park System in which the relevant unit is 
located, working in coordination with the super-
intendent of such unit. 
Æ 
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