Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
April 23, 2013 02:00 AM

Plastic bans on the agenda at some Massachusetts town meetings

Frank Antosiewicz
Gayle S. Putrich
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    CONCORD, MASS. — In many Massachusetts communities, bans on plastic products are on the agenda at the annual spring town meetings.

    Single-serve PET water bottles, thin film plastic bags and polystyrene cups and food containers are all under fire this year in various towns.

    On April 1, Manchester by the Sea, a small coastal community, approved by a voice vote a ban on single-use plastic bags used by retail stores. Like any local bylaw, it still has to be looked over by the state's attorney general. If approved, it will go into effect July 1.

    “We have a huge recycling program in town, but because the recycler does not have a market for [plastic bags], the only place in town that takes them will no longer be able to,” said Town Administrator Wayne Melville.

    Melville said the bylaw contains stiff penalties, rising from $50 to $200 a day per violation. With a population of about 5,000, enforcement of the ban will fall to the local police department.  

    While some may think banning plastic bags is a new to New England and that the East Coast may be following trendy California's lead, consider this: the island of Nantucket has had a ban on plastic bags since 1990.

    Brookline, a suburb of Boston, banned bags this year at stores bigger than 2,500 square feet. The Massachusetts state legislature also is considering a state-wide bag ban.

    Those fighting bag bans say their fight is the same on the East Coast as it is on the West, said Donna Dempsey, spokeswoman for the American Progressive Bag Alliance.

    “The APBA believes bag bans and taxes are bad policy. Whether it's in Rhode Island, where I testified last week, or California, where our chairman testified, we are fighting junk science and bad facts ... and emotion,” she said.

    Emotions can run high and be a factor in New England's somewhat unique form of direct local government. Since colonial days, local residents gather as a legislative body, approving local operating budgets and passing town ordinances in a more informal manner than is seen in other more bureaucratically oriented parts of the country.

    More than bags on the agenda

    Concord approved a ban on single-serve PET water bottles in 2012 and then saw a repeal effort fail April 24 this year. According to the Town Clerk's office, there was a 1 hour and 11 minute discussion prior to the vote. Those who opposed the repeal, won, 687-621, a larger margin than in 2012 when the difference was 37 votes.

    “What's clear is that the town is almost evenly split,” said Concord Town Manager Christopher Whelan.

    Health Director Susan Rask, who is in charge of enforcing the bottle ban, said since it went into effect on Jan. 1, there is only one convenience store that is still non-compliant.  A few others have gotten warnings but were compliant on a repeat visit, she said.

    Rask said the ban added to the health department's workload. First, it had to determine who was selling bottled water — about 100 businesses in the town of about 17,000. Then the department had to keep up with inspections.

    Whelan admitted some retailers adjusted and some did not. He thought it increased sales of re-useable bottles, forced residents to drink town water, but probably did not change the recycling rate.

    “The town has a good record of recycling. Residents recycle about 50 percent of the waste stream,” he said.

    Whelan said local schools installed more bubblers and filling stations to help the cause.

    Great Barrington has had a ban in effect for polystyrene food containers since 1990.

    “We've had no significant issues. It's been in place so long that it is accepted now,” said Mark Pruhenski, Health Agent for Great Barrington.

    Pruhenski has been on the job for eight years and said that in dealing with 165 establishments, only about 65 offer some sort of takeout. Some warnings have issued but no fines or enforcement issues have developed.

    Solutions included the use of corrugated paper cups and aluminum trays or plastics other than polystyrene.

    During the economic downturn in 2008, he said some inns and restaurants had to be reminded of the ban, and in recent times, some lodging chains wanted consistency. But when they saw that the fines could be up to $300 a day for infractions, they complied.

    Pruhenski visits most establishments two to three times a year. “Now we keep our eyes open for new polystyrene products,” he said.

    PS bans have come up in other communities in the state, including Amherst, Pittsfield and Somerville.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    PepsiCo on a ‘multiyear journey' toward bioplastics
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Plan to extend chemical recycling in Illinois hits roadblock
    2
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    3
    Redline's ‘outrageous cultural behaviors' retain top employees
    4
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    5
    Trinseo: Equipment failure blamed for latex emulsion leak
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified