BUCKLAND — The town is considering banning single-use plastic, including straws, plates and cutlery.
The proposal is a step beyond banning plastic bags, as 90 Massachusetts towns have done, according to Mass Green Network website. Buckland has not banned plastic bags.
In the United States, 31 towns have banned polystyrene food service products, the state Department of the Environment spokesperson Ed Coletta wrote in an email Friday. The measure has spread throughout the world: In October, Europe banned the top 10 most-used single-use plastics, according to a news release by the European Parliament.
Selectboard Member Zachary Turner, who proposed the ban, said he sees trash in the local rivers while he fishes. He said that curbing plastic use is vital to preserve the environment.
“I just thought, ‘hey, everybody else is kind of getting on this single-use plastic bag ban thing, what’s stopping Buckland from going all the way with it,’” Turner said in an interview Thursday.
Selectboard member Dena Willmore expressed some support for the ban peppered with concern about its potential impact on local businesses, at Thursday’s Selectboard meeting.
“I absolutely applaud the effort,” Willmore said. “I want to make sure, though, that it doesn’t create kind of a prohibitive cost or difficulty for any of our businesses.”
Willmore suggested the Selectboard “take the time to sit down” with local businesses to discuss the ban. The ban would go into effect after one year, meaning businesses could use up their stock, Turner said.
“I don’t know of any business that’s got a year of plastic bags or cups,” Turner said.
If a business does have more than a year’s worth of stock, Turner suggested Buckland make an exception.
“I understand that Buckland is a small town, but it’s putting the right foot forward,” Turner said.
The single-use ban is likely to be subject to a vote at Buckland’s Town Meeting in May, Turner said.
You can reach Grace Bird at: gbird@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261 ext. 280