Article 12 (link to article here), proposed by the Zero Waste Committee for the Spring Town Meeting, would prohibit the sale of plastic bottles of non-carbonated, non-flavored water in sizes of 1 liter or less. It would apply to any business in Arlington that sells bottled water as well as to Town owned buildings, including schools, effective as of November 1, 2022.

The purpose of this bylaw is to protect the environment and public health, reduce litter, and reduce the Town’s carbon footprint and plastic pollution by reducing the sale and disposal of single use plastic water bottles.
What is the Single-Use Plastic and Plastic Pollution Problem in Massachusetts?

• Each year more than 1.5 billion bottles of water and other non-carbonated beverages are sold in Massachusetts. These products do not carry a deposit fee.

• Only around 20% of these beverage containers get recycled, which means that MA residents are throwing away 1 billion beverage containers every year. These containers end up in landfills or incinerators which pollute our air and water, or as litter that pollutes our parks, waterways, and streets.

• Discarded plastic destroys habitats, harms wildlife, and affects public health by contaminating the food chain. Plastic is also petroleum based and a contributor to climate change. Single-use plastic bottles have environmental costs at every stage of their life cycle, from the resources used to extract water for bottling, to produce product packaging, transport it by truck for sale, and manage plastic trash.

• Bottled water has a free, local, and readily available substitute—tap water! We want to encourage the consumption of Arlington’s high quality tap water in restaurants, at refill stations, and with reusable water bottles.

• 25 other towns in MA have passed bottled water restrictions, starting with Concord in 2012.

Resources:
One page description of the article
General FAQ about the proposed ban
How you can help pass this article at Town Meeting 2022

Questions or feedback on Article 12? Please contact zerowastearlington@gmail.com