By Kelley Devaney.
In 2017, the LS Environmental Club initiated and led the effort to pass the Sudbury and Lincoln plastic bag and bottle pollution reduction bylaws. This year, the club is looking to build upon the efforts of its predecessors and pass three new Town Meeting articles in Sudbury and Lincoln: A Polystyrene Reduction Bylaw, and a Disposable Plastic Pollution Reduction (addressing plastic straws, stirrers, and splash sticks), and a measure authorizing the town Select Boards to petition the state legislature for a minimum checkout bag charge. These efforts have been endorsed by LS Ocean Club and LS Earth Justice Club, and are a collaborative effort with Sustainable Sudbury and Mothers Out Front Lincoln.
On Tuesday, March 31, Maya Gollerkeri and Ava Guleserian (both LS Environmental Club members) and Alex Vai (Sustainable Sudbury and Surfrider Foundation member) presented the three initiatives during the Sudbury Select Board meeting via videoconference. The board ultimately voted 4-1 in support of each of the measures. The Sudbury Board of Health had previously voted unanimously to support all three. The next step in Sudbury for these articles to pass is to present them at the rescheduled Sudbury Town Meeting.
The Polystyrene Reduction Bylaw (Article 55) would regulate sale of products packaged in polystyrene. It would also regulate certain items made in whole or in any part of polystyrene, such as coolers. Polystyrene comes in two forms: foam and rigid. The “rigid” form can often be hard to tell apart from other plastics, but it can be identified by the letters PS or the number 6 recycling symbol. The most famous brand name for foam polystyrene is Styrofoam™. Both foam and rigid polystyrene leach probable carcinogens and toxins into surrounding environments, thus posing environmental and health risks (International Agency for Research on Cancer). Many supermarkets package meats atop polystyrene trays, and coffee shops serve hot drinks in polystyrene cups. The latter is worrisome as the residual styrene toxins leach more when exposed to high temperatures, such as hot coffee or tea in a foam polystyrene cup. The primary environmental risks lie in their degradation into microplastics (more so than other plastic materials as well) and their ability to absorb and concentrate environmental toxins, which can then be transferred into the food chain and the human food supply.
There are many price-comparable alternatives to polystyrene, especially in food service ware. The bylaw has exemptions for prepared food and non-food goods packaged in polystyrene outside of town, if they are sold without repackaging or alteration.
The Disposable Plastic Pollution Reduction Bylaw (Article 57) would prohibit Sudbury food establishments from handing out plastic disposable straws, stirrers, and splash sticks. Non-plastic alternatives could be provided but only by customer request or if selected by the customer from a self-service dispenser. The retail sale of said items would be restricted unless non-plastic or reusable alternatives are readily available and labeled.
Plastics generally do not biodegrade; once in the environment, they simply break down into smaller and smaller pieces and eventually into microplastics. The average American consumes 250 grams of plastic each year (that’s the size of a dinner plate), according to a 2019 WWF report using data from University of Newcastle in Australia. Non-polystyrene plastics also leach toxins into their environments. BPA, the primary known toxin in plastic straws, commonly leaks out of landfills, contaminating accessible fresh water supplies (many sources including Conservation Law Foundation).
Should the Authorization to Petition for a Checkout Bag Charge (Article 56) pass, the Select Board will petition the petition state legislature to establish a bag charge in Sudbury. Today, under MA state law, only cities can unilaterally implement such a charge. The primary objective of this charge is to encourage consumers to reuse bags instead of simply switching from disposable plastic to disposable paper. While paper bags do degrade better than plastic bags, their net greenhouse gas emissions, water use, other chemical emissions, and price surpasses that of the plastic bags, leaving reusable bags as the most environmentally AND wallet-friendly choice.
In Sudbury and Lincoln, stores hand out paper bags at checkout. Currently, these stores fold the price of the bags into the overall price of the food. With a bag surcharge, a 10-cent charge would be added to the overall bill for each store bag used. The proposal is retailer friendly because the charge is paid to the store and it funds the bags. As the money would go directly to the retailer, the proposal is not a tax. If the customer brings their own bag, no additional charge would be applied, providing them the opportunity to choose to save money on bags.
The idea for the bag charge is inspired by similar movements in all over the world. Just as one example of many, after the implementation of its bag charge, Los Angeles County witnessed a over a 40% increase in the use of reusable bags and no bags at all.
The three very similar measures have also been supported by the Lincoln’s Board of Health and Board of Selectmen; these will be presented at the rescheduled Lincoln Town Meeting. For further information, please contact or visit www.sustainablesudbury.org.