Cape Plastic Bottle Ban

---

Single-use plastic bottles are made from non-renewable fuels, leach chemicals into consumables, and never biodegrade. Single-use plastic bottles impact environmental health, and the health and longevity of other species, who may ingest plastic as food. Ultimately, plastic re-enters the human food chain where the adverse consequences are both known and emerging. 

Like plastic production, recycling single-use plastic affects environmental and human health through emissions. Additionally, recycling single-use plastic is not a closed-loop process and does not reduce the need to create virgin plastic for use in the production of single-use plastic water bottles. Indeed, recycled plastic increases the presence of plastic in our environment through plastic downcycling, a production term that references the use of recycled plastic in other products from fabric to building materials. 

Over 1,500 single-use plastic water bottles are used and discarded in the U.S. per second. Elimination of the use of single-use plastic water bottles will have a significant impact on future plastic-based pollution including the nation’s greenhouse gas footprint and is consistent with protection of the natural environment in  Barnstable County, our nation and our earth, which we have a common responsibility to protect and steward.

The Commercial Single-use  Plastic Water Bottle Ban ( Commercial Ban) is a citizen action effort to reduce plastic consumption.  The Commercial Ban will eliminate the commercial sale of non-carbonated, unflavored water in single-use plastic water bottles. The Commercial Ban was adopted by seven towns: Brewster, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown and Wellfleet at 2020 fall town meetings. These articles will be enforced in September 2021. Sustainable Practices will support the adoption of the Commercial Ban in the remaining Cape towns as part of its overall 2021 sustainability strategy.

Recent news coverage highlighting our Cape activities can be found on Our News page. 

Plastic bottles are a by-product of the fossil fuel industry; they do not biodegrade and can last forever. Their production emits toxic waste into the air, and chemicals from plastic can leach into our beverages. After plastics are discarded, they pollute the air via incineration, contaminate groundwater through landfills, as well as harm to our oceans, beaches, roadways, and wildlife. Recycling is of little help and does not eliminate or reduce our dependence on plastic.  The hazardous effects of plastics are far more costly than indicated by price. They affect our immediate and long-term well-being. 

After successful passage of the Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban in five Cape towns in the spring of 2019: Provincetown, Wellfleet, Harwich, Chatham, and Orleans, Sustainable Practices continued the campaign to reduce municipal plastic waste, adding  Brewster, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Sandwich, and Yarmouth to the list of towns that have adopted the Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban by year-end 2019. As of year-end 2020, both Barnstable and Mashpee have adopted the Municipal Ban, for a total of 13 towns. Bourne and Truro are the only remaining towns to vote on the Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban and both will have the Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban article on their respective spring town meeting warrants. 

The Municipal Plastic Bottle Ban addresses single-use plastic by eliminating purchase of single-use plastic bottled beverages by town governments and prohibiting the sale of beverages in  single-use plastic containers on town property. We are actively engaged with towns to promote alternatives to plastic and are primarily focused on behavioral change in favor of reusable containers.

Recent news coverage highlighting our Cape activities can be found on Our News page.