WELLFLEET – A recommendation for a plastic beverage bottle ban did not move forward at the Wellfleet Selectboard meeting last week.
In September 2021, Wellfleet’s commercial single-use plastic water bottle ban went into effect. At a selectboard meeting in January 2022, Chair Ryan Curley proposed a broader plastic bottle beverage ban that would add on to the existing ban.
Curley and Vice-Chair Michael DeVasto said the water bottle ban made it more likely people would purchase carbonated beverages or sports drinks that can be high in sugar since the ban only removed single-use water bottles from shelves.
The selectboard was receptive to potentially adding the amendment at last month’s meeting but wanted to take more time to consider the matter before recommending it.
During the meeting last week, Curley wanted to rescind the plastic beverage bottle ban from the warrant because it was written in a way that would affect too many essential beverages.
“As drafted it would affect a whole range of different containers including such staples as milk. You wouldn’t be able to buy milk in less than a gallon as drafted, so I’d like to pull the article from the warrant,” Curley said.
Board member Helen Miranda Wilson agreed with pulling the article since Wellfleet’s transfer station offers an efficient way for the bottles to be recycled.
The selectboard unanimously moved to rescind the plastic beverage bottle ban from the warrant.
By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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