Cape Ban On Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles Sought By Activists

BARNSTABLE, MA — A group of activists is trying to build a movement for Cape Cod towns to ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles at retail stores. The nonprofit Sustainable Practices has already spearheaded a ban on single-use plastic bottles for town governments in 11 of the Cape's 15 towns, and its leadership and volunteers are optimistic this can also be done at the commercial level through town meeting votes in the Spring.

Madhavi Venkatesan, the organization's executive director said the municipal ban was a great first step, and she believes the momentum is there to take a bigger step towards protecting the environment.

"Yes, we are optimistic," Venkatesan told Patch. "There is no question that it's the right thing to do."

Christine Kircum, a volunteer and Falmouth resident, said the municipal ban was approved in town last town meeting, and she believes there's already a lot of community support to enact a ban at the commercial level.

"People were already asking what about commercial? ..." Kircum said residents were asking at town meeting. " They asked, 'When is Stop & Shop and Shaw's going to catch on?'"

Venkatesan said bottled water was not always a norm for Americans, but became popular over the last 40 years because it was marketed as healthier and more convenient than tap water. She said unlike bottled water, municipal water is tested regularly and results are made public for the community.

"We lived without single-use plastic for most of human civilization and it has not done anything to optimize human life," she said. "We are confident the ban will triumph over short-term gratification."

In a Spring report from Consumer Reports, 130 brands of bottled water were tested, and 11 of those brands tested positive for detectable levels of arsenic. One had levels of 17 parts per billion which is well above the federal limit of 10 parts per billion. Most of the bottled water companies that responded to the report said they adhere to government standards and that arsenic can be naturally occurring.

Of the 11 towns where municipal bans have already been enacted, Barnstable, Truro, Bourne and Mashpee were not among them. Still activists in the community remain optimistic. Specifically in Barnstable, resident and Sustainable Practices volunteer Karla Cabral said the only reason they couldn't get the municipal ban up for a town meeting vote yet is because the town uses a representative town meeting format.

With the fall's election creating turnover, the new council needed some time to settle in, so Cabral said the ban will be brought up to the council at the beginning of the new year. Cabral said some of the councilors have seemed willing to hear and consider the idea.

Town Councilor David Bogan said the subject hasn't been the subject of many of his discussions, but a few residents have brought up the issue.

"It seems the more we learn, the more cause there is for concern," Bogan told Patch.

Bogan said he expects the issue to come before the council and subject to how it would be implemented, he would likely support it.