Ordinance

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Single-use beverage bottles make up a large percentage of waste and litter, creating an environmental threat to our region. The Town of Truckee is taking steps to reduce the proliferation of disposable items such as single-use water bottles in our community and encourage a shift to reuse.

Ordinance

On January 23rd, 2024 the Town of Truckee adopted the Single-Use Plastic Bottle and Paper Carton Ordinance. The ordinance prohibits the sale and commercial distribution of unflavored, non-carbonated water in single-use plastic bottles and paper cartons under a gallon in size beginning April 22, 2025.

General Resources

• Staff report and full text of ordinance
• Ordinance Notice – General Information
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Water Bottle Filling Station Map – Need to refill your reusable water bottle? Check out this map to find a water bottle filling station in the Truckee-Tahoe area

Business Resources

• Fact Sheet
• Ordinance Notices to Place in Store for Customers – The Keep Truckee Green Team can provide ordinance notices in high quality cardstock paper for free upon request
  • Formal Ordinance Notice
  • Stylized Ordinance Notice – Contains same information as the formal notice
  • What Can You Do? – Flyer to educate customers on how they can support the ordinance
    • English
    • Spanish
  • Half-Sheet Ordinance Notice
• Water Bottle Filling Station Grant Program – Businesses and other organizations in Truckee can apply to install publicly accessible, free water bottle filling stations and be reimbursed 50% of the purchase price
• Mobile Water Filling Station Reservation Program – Hosting a special event? Reserve free mobile water filling stations and water dispensers to provide free tap water to you event attendees!

Background

The ordinance is part of a series of single-use water bottle policy recommendations listed below that staff presented to, and were approved by, Town Council on May 23, 2023:

1. Develop a comprehensive outreach and incentive program to support a reduction in use of single-use bottles, promote a shift to reusable water bottles, and incentivize installation of additional refill stations in the community.
2. Prohibit the sale and commercial distribution of water packaged in single-use plastic bottles or paper cartons less than one gallon in volume.
3. Include exemptions for emergencies, social services, healthcare, and other situations that may impact health and safety.
4. Report back to Council at least one year after the effective date of implementation of the ordinance and outreach campaign, including impacts on residents and businesses.
5. Investigate options to expand the ordinance to include other beverages in single-use plastic packaging and provide recommendations to Council for future consideration.

To read the full May 23, 2023 staff report, click here.

The above recommendations for reducing single-use plastic water bottle use were developed using input collected via a community survey, a stakeholder advisory group, and a community workshop.

Community Survey

A community survey for residents, visitors, and businesses in Truckee was available online from February 3-20, 2023. The survey was shared online through Keep Truckee Green and Town of Truckee outreach channels, including e-blasts and social media, as well as through partner agencies including Truckee Chamber, Truckee Downtown Merchants Association, and Visit Truckee-Tahoe. Staff also conducted in-person intercept surveys outside Mi Pueblito Market on February 17, where many responses collected were in Spanish. In addition, staff conducted direct phone calls and email outreach to businesses, including grocers and other retail stores, to receive business responses.

Another survey was conducted in November 2023 to get more detailed analysis on plastic water bottle usage among residents. Intercept surveys were conducted in front of Raley’s O-N-E Market, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Mi Pueblito Market, and Safeway. Surveys were also distributed through Sierra Community House.

Workshop

Staff hosted an in-person community workshop on February 8, 2023, at the Community Rec Center. The workshop was advertised along with the survey through Keep Truckee Green, the Town, Truckee Chamber, TDMA, and Visit Truckee-Tahoe’s website and social media outreach channels. Attendees heard a brief presentation on the community engagement process and considerations for policies and actions, and then provided feedback on a series of prompts. Most of the 13 attendees were Truckee High School students involved in the Envirolution Club.

Community Stakeholder Group

Staff also convened a group of community stakeholders to provide additional opportunities for input from business representatives and other key local stakeholders. This group was convened twice, on January 26 and March 8, 2023. Town staff provided a research brief in advance of each meeting to prepare members for the topic of discussion. Members discussed potential impacts on their sector of operations, concerns, and provided feedback on potential policy options. Stakeholders included representatives from local businesses, special events, healthcare, emergency operations, and education.

For more information, contact the Town of Truckee Keep Truckee Green team at Sustainability@TownOfTruckee.gov (or) (530) 582-2928

Filling Station Grant Program

Water Bottle Filling Station Grant Program Application Now Open!

Applications will be continuously accepted on a first-come first-served, rolling basis. Grants will be awarded until program funding is exhausted or through June 2025.

The Town of Truckee is providing grants to reimburse 50% of a water filling station purchase price (up to $2500 per unit) with a maximum of 5 units per applicant. There is no station limit for public agencies.

The Town of Truckee Water Bottle Filling Station Grant Program was created to provide the community with access to safe and reliable tap water to refill reusable water bottles, reducing the use of disposable water bottles and associated waste and litter.

Who Can Apply? You may be eligible for funds if you:

• Are located within the Truckee town limits.
• Are a public facility (city facility, school, community center, parks, recreation areas, etc.) or a private facility/business providing free, unrestricted public access to the filling station during standard business hours.
• Meet criteria and fulfill application requirements.

How to Apply:

There are three components to each application: the Grant request application, the liability waiver, and a federal W-9 tax form. Applicants must submit a separate grant request application per station they would like to be reimbursed for, but only need to submit one liability waiver and W-9 form. The link to the “Water Bottle Filling Station Grant Guidelines” form provides more information about the grant program and criteria. Information on where to submit the application can be found on the application form.

For more information, contact the Town of Truckee Keep Truckee Green team via: Sustainability@TownOfTruckee.gov (or) (530) 582-2928

Special Events

Free water filling stations and dispensers now available for special events in Truckee!

Water bottle filling stations are a great way to reduce single-use plastic water bottle waste, reduce the amount of trash pick up after an event, and demonstrate to event attendees your organization’s dedication to sustainability! It is also an opportunity to treat event attendees to our amazing tap water sourced from a mountain aquifer in Martis Valley.

There are two mobile water filling stations and two 5-gallon water dispensers available for reservation. Event organizers can reserve any number or combination of mobile stations/dispensers as long as they are available. To keep this program available for free, those who reserve the mobile water filling stations and/or dispensers are responsible for any costs to replace or repair lost or damaged components.

The mobile water stations (pictured above and to the left) have two spigots event attendees can use to fill a reusable cup or water bottle. The station needs to be connected to a potable water source via a 25 ft long potable water hose that is provided with each station. It is encouraged that event organizers provide reusable cups for event attendees to use if possible.

The two 5-gallon water dispensers (pictured above and to the right) will be empty upon pick up. They do not connect to a potable water source and need to be refilled throughout an event by the event organizer. The water dispensers can only contain water and cannot contain any other type of beverage.

Using the mobile water filling stations and dispensers is also a great way to begin transitioning to a single-use plastic water bottle free Truckee. Starting April 22, 2025 special events in Truckee will need to comply with the Town’s Single-Use Plastic Bottle and Paper Carton Ordinance which prohibits the sale and commercial distribution of water in single-use plastic water bottles and paper cartons. To learn more about the Single-Use Plastic Bottle and Paper Carton Ordinance, please visit the “Ordinance” tab above.

If you are interested in requesting a reservation, please fill out the form here.

Guidelines: Where to pick up, how to set up, clean, and return the water bottling filling stations

Please email sustainability@townoftruckee.gov (or) call (530) 582-2928 with any questions.