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Subscribe to RSSBans on plastic bags have taken root in communities across the country, but banning the sale of water in plastic bottles? The town of Concord, Mass., is in line to be the first in the nation to do just that, now that the state’s attorney general has signed off. The bottled water industry, for its part, is considering a lawsuit.
Championed by an 84-year-old resident during a three-year battle, the law bans the sale of single-serving PET water bottles of one liter or less starting on Jan. 1 in Concord, population 18,000.
A first offense comes with a warning, followed by $25 for second offense and $50 for any beyond that, the Boston Globe reported. It does, however, allow for an exemption during emergencies.
Jean Hill, the Concord resident behind ban, told The Boston Globe that she was relieved after three years of work.
"I hope other towns will follow,’" Hill said. "I feel bottled water is a waste of money."
The state's attorney general initially shot down the proposed ban, but on Wednesday signed off after it was revised last year and it was approved last April by town residents in a 403-364 vote.
In a letter to Concord, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said she was confident the law could stand up in court, citing a case where the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Minnesota law that banned the sale of milk in non-returnable, non-refillable plastic containers. That law was passed in order to reduce the generation of solid waste.
The bottled water industry vowed to fight back, possibly in court.
"We are exploring all available options," the Virginia-based International Bottled Water Association said in a statement.
"This ban deprives residents of the option to choose their choice of beverage and visitors, who come to this birthplace of American independence, a basic freedom gifted to them by the actions in this town more than 200 years ago," the group added, noting Concord's place in U.S. history. "It will also deprive the town of needed tax revenue and harm local businesses that rely on bottled water sales."
The activist group Ban The Bottle welcomed Concord's move, calling it the first of its kind in the U.S.
Some other cities "are taking steps to curb bottled water sales, but only in city and municipal buildings," the group's Tomas Bosque told NBC News. Several universities have done so as well.
San Francisco is considering an ordinance that would require owners of new and renovated buildings to install filling stations, he said, and the city already has such stations at various parks, schools and its airport.
Bundanoon, an Australian town, enacted a ban in 2009 and believes it was the first government to do so anywhere.
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ya so ban water bottles so when there is a pollutant in the peoples water supply let them drink the poisoned contaminated water and let everyone get sick for instants like hurricanes come and wreck everybodys drinking supply what they suppose to drink well they cant have bottled water some dumb ass went and banned selling plastic water bottles get a f-ing life i will buy plastic single water forever you dont know what town you come too and find out you just drank some storm drained contaminated city water i will stick with what i know best
They on banning bottles under ONE LITER !!!!!!!!!
The first state I guess, but San Francisco banned plastic water bottle sale a long time ago.
RECYCLING also creates jobs ... to pickup, transport, shred, and re-transport them to a place where they can be used. Why would I want a reusable bottle of the nasty tasting water from home - I choose to buy bottled water for the same reason I buy soda - for the TASTE and convenince. Why not increase the deposit to 10 cents? I know a number of folks who routinely collect bottles to suppliment their lack of income who would be more than happy with that choice ...
Paying for bottled water is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated against the public . . . countless scientific studies have been done that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that tap water is just as healthy or in some cases healthier than bottled water . . . and what most people probably don't believe is that most ALL bottled water comes from a tap right here in the USA -- some taps even located in the hearts of dirty, grimy cities. They filter it through a little charcoal and label it from the French Alps or some such nonsense. P.T. Barnum was right on the money when he said: "There's a sucker born every minute" . . . paying for bottled water only serves to show the stupidity of people who buy it -- the suckers! . . . do your homework, get the facts and then save some money.
Great news! Hopefully this will spread across the US so that the landfills and our environment do not continue to be flooded with plastic bottles. Get a reusable stainless steel bottle and take your water with you. So unneccessary to use plastic water bottles.
In the desert, water bottles = survival. Here in Las Vegas, water from the tap in many places is not exactly drinkable. On the East coast, that may be different. However, I agree with what many have mentioned, and educate people to recycle the bottles. Even better, do what Seattle does and make it illegal to put recyclables in the trash. As global warming continues, and we have more weather events, bottled water will become increasingly important. Messing with this resource is cutting ones nose off...
Water bottles = survival? Seriously, that's what you're going with? In third world countries, probably. But not in the U.S. where tap water is MUCH MUCH better regulated and tested than bottled water. By "not exactly drinkable", you are probably referring to taste, because it can't flow out of your tap unless it has been tested to be safe. So buy a filter, problem solved.
The solution is NOT to turn water into a commodity like gasoline, which also seems to be what you are suggesting. Access to water is a human rights issue, not something to be bought and sold for profit as it becomes more scarce.
And finally, (for the umpteenth time on this board), recycling isn't really "recycling" -- the plastic is repurposed or incinerated for energy. They don't turn old water bottles into new water bottles because they can't trust that people will restrain themselves from contaminating the bottles with dangerous substances prior to recycling them. So although throwing them in a "recycling" bin is better than in the trash, it only delays that same chunk of plastic from going in the trash until whatever it has been repurposed for (plastic lumber, for instance) goes into the trash.
Oh, and I don't know about back East, but in the West, recycling plastic bottles and tin cans is an underground economy for unemployed/homelss people. I noticed this in Los Angeles, and also in Las Vegas.
Buying bottled water is silly, even if you want to do so and can afford to do so. And if you really want to make recycling work, then up the ante on deposits for cans and bottles. Five cents means nothing any more; raise it to 25 cents per bottle/can, and perhaps more people will bring back the empties. Of course if one lives in NH, where "Live free or die" is the state slogan/motto, there is no deposit on bottles or cans. But the litter is everywhere, just as the litter continues to pile up in spite of deposits in other states. I know people who buy soda in NH where there is no deposit and return the bottles to MA to collect the refund. Nice racket.
I take it from the conversation that Mass. does not have a bottle deposit law. Why didn't she work to get a law passed?
Profits from bottled water sales offset increasing costs in other products at convenience stores. A result of this ban will be that other products at convenience stores will have to increase in price. If the locals are willing to pay, its their decision. Of course, I live in a town of approximately 18000 people and you can drive 8 minutes down the road to another town and buy all the bottled water you want. Of course, that town will be happily collecting the sales tax revenue.
Its a feel good law that will amount to a miniscule reduction in landfill waste. Typical east coast.
Residents of Concord that value individual freedom should make their neighbors that voted for the law and Mrs. Czar Obama mad by buying regular soda in plastic bottles.
Youve missed the whole point !!! Its not that they dont want people buying the plastic !!!!! ..... Its that they dont want their lazy @##@!!## throwing them on the ground . Trashing up the environment . Oh yeah thats just great teach people to tit for tat . You remind me of the people i work with .. Always gotta get one better . Its not about INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM !!!!!!!!!!!! Its about TRASH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess people have never heard of biodegradable plastic. It exhists. Go to Busch Gardens in Florida. You can get a bowl and silverware completely made of this. These can even be eaten. The plastic is made out of corn. So, sorry it is possible. But due to my health, I only drink bottled water. I will never drink water out of a Florida tap. Sorry. Purified or distilled water only for me. So, I would definitely protest for my bottled water. "Nestle Pure Life" (Nestle Company), water all the way. I also believe in recycling big time. So, sorry but people need to keep their two cents out of things. Because I will never, ever give up my bottled water and no way will anyone ever tell me they can take away my rights to drink it. I only drink bottled water and fresh hot tea and iced tea. I recycle all of them and everything in my house.
Also, they may have laws about water but you better check the facts. A lot of the time, it is different from state to state. Some states have an overflow of one mineral, chemical or another. Also, some water really should not even be being drank at all unless of course you heat it first and get rid of so many impurities. I will take distilled and pure water any days because these ones are heated and most of the impurites are taken out. THese are a heck of a lot better for your health. I do not drink spring water because these most of the time are just like drinking water directly from the tap. Sorry but ever since I moved to Florida my health was terrible. Every time I drank from the tap even with a purifier on it, my mouth broke out in sores and I got a lot sicker. So, I will continue to drink bottled water be it an individual bottle or a gallon jug for my home. Also, when I travel I do not drink water from other areas. I only bring my bottled water every where I go. This is all I drink. This is all I will continue to drink for my health. If people do not like this, so what. I have found that this works for me and my health. I will not change for anyone. This is my choice. No one should be able to take that choice away from a person. If they do not want to buy them, do not buy them. But, stop taking away other peoples rights to do so. This country is becoming a dictatorship and we are told what we can do or buy from one minute to the next. Get a life people and leave other people alone. Leave them with CHOICE. Choice and freedom of choice is the better lifestyle. Stop trying to mold us into this one mold and make us all alike. I prefer individualism. As an individual, I make the choice to drink my bottled water. I do not need people telling me what I can and cannot do from one minute to the next.
Wonder what you would have drank before bottled water ever came out ??? Guess you would have died from the water like everyone else.
I think this lady has stock in her local water company. This is why she wants the ban. LOL. The water company is tired of competing with the bottled market industry and wants more money. They want you to only drink their water only. LOL
They're worried about plastic bottles while the worst looking landfill site sits across the road from Walden Pond.
Ah Redwizardoo, you said "Most water bottles are made with biodegradable plastic these days".
No such thing as biodegradable plastic, it takes years for plastic bottles to degrade in a landfill.
What about all the plastic that isn't recycled at all.
All the @!$%#ing plastic that we get when we buy anything today.
You stupid @!$%#s, if you get rid of plastic bottles then you need to get rid of all the plastic that products are packaged in.
There are way do many dumb @!$%#s in governement positions.
No one says that you can't buy bottled water. They just will not sell it in those smaller bottles.
I understand that tap water does have some problems in some areas of the country. That does not justify the immense garbage and pollution problem caused by the excessive and massive use of small plastic bottles.
These bottled water companies are laughing all the way to the bank about Americas slavery to their product.
All of those dammed Life waters and other flavored drinks are just as much to blame for pollution,are a waste of resources, and a waste of money and an insult to nutritional health.
Just because they CAN sell it and you CAN buy it, does not meant that you should. It carries a far higher price than; that buck fifty that you pay.
Wow, so we don't like something--let's ban it! I don't like it, so you can't have it. What?
I think I'll start a ban on smart phones. They're obnoxious and they cause so much more waste than a plastic bottle ever will. Who's with me on a ban? LOL Right.
If there werent so many lazy people in this country this wouldnt be an issue . But because people cant put their plastic in the recycle or in the garbage can rather than just throw it on the side of the road or the side of their car it take laws to do the job . LAZY LAZY LAZY !!! Then they carry their plastic bags to pic up after their dogs and just throw them on the side of the path too . Too much ignorance in this sad world . Also all you naysayers . Ever take a look at what plastic bottles are sitting on the side of the road . ???? Bottled water is big fad these days . And sadly its alot to do with the fact that people dont trust the water coming out of their faucet. Stillllllllllllllllllll Recycle PEOPLE !!!!
Nicole 1971 ..... Its not that they dont like it . Its because its big problem in the environment . Havent you ever been somewhere and said oooooooooooo look at all this trash ????? Well thats because people dont pick up after themself . So it takes a law to keep America beautiful . Thank god we have people that care unlike yourself . Or else wed be wallowing in garbage .
Thanks for caring, we need more people like you!