Plastic Bottle Ban In Falmouth Starts In September

FALMOUTH, MA — The Board of Selectmen voted to enact a municipal ban on single-use plastic bottles effective September 1, 2020. Town meeting voters approved the ban in November which forbid town-run beach, events and programs from selling or providing plastic bottles.

The selectmen decided to wait until after summer to implement the ban to give organizers of events like the annual Falmouth Road Race time to comply without having to make major changes in their planning.

"I know in general most of these organizations and events are already in the planning for their upcoming season," Selectmen Chair Megan English Braga said. "The goal of this was never, and even in terms of the petitioners, was never to really make this onerous, but, really, to get the community to come together."

Other members of the board suggested moving the implementation date to as early as June 1 arguing because town meeting approved this, it's in the spirit of the town for these changes to be made as soon as possible. Bot others like Selectwoman Susan Moran said doing that could create complications for events and programs during the town's busiest season.

The conversation around banning single-use water bottles has not just picked up in Falmouth, but throughout the entire Cape. The nonprofit Sustainable Practices has activists throughout the region's 15 towns advocating for municipal and commercial bans for all of Cape Cod.

Activists have argued the ban does more than reduce the Cape's carbon footprint, but also may be healthier for residents.

According to Sustainable Practices executive director Madhavi Venkatesan, 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.