Cape Cod Town Rescinds Single-Use Plastic Water Bottle Ban

Falmouth MA

17 November, 2021

2:20 PM

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SANDWICH, MA — Over the last few years, 11 towns on Cape Cod have banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles, including Sandwich. But on Monday, town meeting voters got rid of the ban before it even got enacted. Sandwich's plastic water bottle ban was scheduled to begin at the start of 2022. This is no longer happening because of the passage of a special town meeting article proposed via a citizen's petition filed by Kathy Barrett. The article passed, with 169 residents supporting it and another 131 voting to keep the ban. About a dozen residents spoke at the meeting to discuss the article, and public comments were just about equally divided on the issue, the Cape Cod Times reported. Supporters of the article expressed concern that the ban may have a negative impact on elderly and disabled people, who could struggle lifting and pouring larger gallon jugs of water. Others cited the lack of water filling stations in town, the potential harm to small businesses and the continued sale of sports drinks and soda in plastic bottles. Residents and the Advocacy group Sustainable Practices, which spearheaded the bans across 10 other Cape Cod town, cited the effects of plastic pollution on beaches and the Cape Cod Environment at large. Last month, Mashpee became the latest Cape Cod community to ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in town. Brewster, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, Chatham, Dennis and Wellfleet have all adopted bans as well.