A grant of nearly $300,000 will help study ways to cut back on single-use plastics in Cape Cod in an effort to reduce water pollution.
The funding, a $299,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant Program's Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions, will "expand the use of sustainable alternatives to single use food and serviceware, including exploring the potential for a reusable serviceware program to transition businesses away from single-use plastics," according to a news release.
Matt Charette is Sea Grant director at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, which received the funding along with a Massachusetts environmental group called CARE for the Cape and Islands.
"Many small businesses do not have the resources to research and make the transition away from plastic on their own," Charette said in a statement. "Redesigning convenient food serviceware systems so they are more sustainable takes research, collaboration and funding. We also need to test alternative systems and solutions to make sure they will work within the unique constraints and requirements of this region."
Funding will support a three-year program that aims to include businesses, local governments, nongovernmental organizations, educational entities and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
"Addressing the problems created by single-use plastic serviceware has been a goal of CARE for some time, especially given a significant increase in take-out and single-use plastic use since COVID," CARE Executive Director Jill Talladay said in statement.