On March 22, the Newton City Council’s Programs and Services Committee will begin discussing a proposal that would ban the sale or distribution of more than one dozen plastic items and limiting the availability of many other items.
Among other things, the ordinance would forbid the sale of plastic water bottles, plastic floss sticks, plastic ear swabs, cosmetics containing plastic glitter, non-recyclable plastic containers, and packing materials.
Most of the proposed rules would change the way our restaurants and, in some cases retailers, do business.
Some of the ideas targeted by Newton’s proposed Expanded Sustainable Packaging Ordinance are entirely reasonable and have our full support.
Others have unintended consequences that we urge the council to consider thoughtfully before moving forward.
Before I go any further, let’s acknowledge single-use plastics and their byproducts are devastating to our waterways and our communities. They’re a health risk to humans, to animals, and to our future. They generate billions of tons of greenhouse gases. In addition, far too many of the plastic items we toss into recycling bins are never recycled.
And, as I said, there are many good ideas in the proposed ordinance.
For example, under the new ordinance, restaurants could only provide plasticware or single-use condiment packages upon request, as opposed to leaving them on the counter, or automatically adding them to our takeout orders.
Another provision allows customers to bring their own clean takeout containers to fill themselves in order to take home leftovers, something virtually every restaurant owner I’ve spoken to thought was already permitted.
Other proposed rules are good ideas but not executable.
For example the ordinance would prohibit the use or sale of black plastic takeout containers (which are not recyclable). But here’s the rub: There’s a supply chain shortage of white or clear containers. Restaurateurs say they’re just not consistently available.
Compostable containers are an allowed alternative. But they’re costly and don’t work well for all food, such as those with sauces or gravy. (Plus too many users toss ’em in the trash anyway.)
Restaurants would also be required to only use reusable dishware and utensils for dine-in customers. Sound good. But with labor shortages not all restaurants (think busy coffee shops in the morning, pizza places when the high school gets out, etc.) are always able or equipped, to wash every item.
Our restaurants, retailers and other chamber businesses fully appreciate the negative environmental consequences of plastics. We live here too.
But many of these ideas should be regulated state-wide, not one community at a time. Rather than, for example, banning water bottles in Newton, we could solve a huge litter problem by adding water and juice containers (both are highly recyclable) to the state’s bottle deposit bill.
Still, we look forward to having a productive conversation with the council about crafting a responsible policy that helps reduce plastic waste, while being mindful of unintended consequences.
Greg Reibman is president of the Charles River Regional Chamber.
