SWAMPSCOTT — Residents attended the Waste Advisory Committee’s special meeting Wednesday evening to share their thoughts and concerns on a proposed bylaw that would strongly regulate the use of plastics commonly used for takeout containers, straws, and single-use utensils.
Committee Chair Wayne Spritz kicked off the special meeting with a presentation outlining the proposed bylaw. Last month, the committee voted unanimously to approve a draft bylaw, which will be refined and presented to the Select Board next month.
If passed, the regulation would prohibit food establishments, or businesses that prepare and serve food, from distributing takeout containers or utensils made from materials such as polystyrene, also known by the brand name Styrofoam, polyvinyl chloride, black plastic materials, or any plastic material that cannot be recycled in Swampscott.
The proposed bylaw would also ban the use of takeout containers containing PFAS chemicals, which Spritz said can seep into food and are frequently used for heat-resistant and water-resistant coatings on paper takeout containers. It includes a “Skip the Stuff” provision, which, modeled after Massachusetts House Bill 766, requires that food establishments offering single-use utensils and condiment packets only provide such items upon request by customers or at self-serve stations.
“The effort is based upon a community desire to really reduce the overall burden of plastic sent to landfill and incineration while boosting the overall content of recyclable and reusable materials. We did a comparative analysis with other Massachusetts communities and we feel that this proposal is a realistic attempt to balance the community needs, environmental health, and business-operation requirements,” Spritz said.
Resident Stefanie Neumann spoke in support of the bylaw, arguing that it can protect consumers from ingesting toxic substances.
“I am completely behind you in this effort, I think it’s fabulous. I wish there were material engineers coming up with new containers that are devoid of these poisons,” Neumann said. “Maybe you don’t taste the poisons that are extracted from the plastic container but it really is a concern, particularly since cancer is growing so rapidly in so many areas of our bodies and in our society.”
Other proponents included Troop 60103 Girl Scouts Ainsley Miller and Sophia Armstrong. Speaking before the committee, Armstrong said she and Miller are working to curb the use of plastic utensils at ice-cream businesses near the town’s beaches to obtain their Silver Awards and mitigate ocean pollution.
Bruce Paradise, the owner of Paradiso Ristorante, asked the committee about the ban on plastic takeout containers, noting that since the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery and takeout have become essential to restaurants’ revenues.
“I’m all for all the recycling and all — everything that you guys are doing is great … What do we use if you’re restricting us to certain single-use containers that we can send for takeout?” Paradise said. “What I’m using right now is something we’ve been using since COVID. It’s recyclable, reusable, and dishwasher safe.”
In response, Spritz said that the use of black plastic containers will be prohibited under the bylaw for their lack of recyclability. Polypropylene, which is very commonly used to make takeout containers, will not be prohibited unless it’s black.
“One of the reasons we didn’t ban it, or prohibit it, is because we know that it is highly reusable. It’s dishwasher safe, and when we get them at home, we use it for school lunches and everything that we can possibly use it for because we don’t want to throw it away,” Spritz said.
Spritz added that one of the major reductions in plastic waste to come from the proposed bylaw would be in the school district, where cafeterias mainly use single-use utensils and containers.
The proposed bylaw will go before the Select Board on Nov. 15. If approved, it will be put to public vote at Town Meeting in 2024.
