WELLFLEET – The Town of Wellfleet is the second community on Cape Cod to prohibit the purchase of plastic bottles by town government.
Wellfleet town meeting voters approved the measure earlier this week.
Provincetown was the first town to approve the ban, which will be before town meeting voters in Yarmouth, Brewster, Harwich, Sandwich, Dennis, Orleans and Chatham next month.
The environmental non-profit Sustainable Practices is leading the effort and is seeking to put the plastic bottle ban before voters in the remaining Cape towns this fall.
“Municipal bans are a first step in helping reduce single-use plastic containers throughout the Cape Cod community,” said Madhavi Venkatesan, the executive director of Sustainable Practices.
“Plastic bottles are a by-product of the fossil fuel industry; they do not biodegrade and can last forever. Recycling is of little help and does not eliminate or reduce our dependence on plastic.”
Thirteen communities on Cape Cod have already imposed bans on single-use plastic bags. Brewster and Eastham will vote on similar restrictions at their town meetings in May.
The United States is the largest consumer of plastic bottled beverages.
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