08/24/2020 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Agenda Packet

Home Browse Search

boarding, liquor issues, etc. I have also met with Town Managers, Department heads, Selectmen and others many times to listen., communicate and cooperate in making Mashpee a better place. I have even been appointed by the selectmen to a town committee to study a zoning issue. Why not try this old fashion approach before bans or prohibitions that will result in more unintended consequences than we would have time to list. I and the General Manager of our 3 stores have supported Rep Ran resentative dy Hunts bills to add the nips to the bottle bill. If the bottle bill could solve the soda litter a few decades ago, we reasoned it could solve the nip litter. I have traveled to Beacon Hill twice and testified on the bottle bill. But as always on Beacon Hill,politics move in a strange way. Unable to get support from local politicians and organizations the bills died the slow death of study committee. After 3 years our next approach was to partner with Massachusetts Package Store Association, Industry Suppliers and Keep America Beautiful. A project was formed that copied KAB's successes in the South to reduce cigarette butt pollution. Today there are test communities that use "Nip it in the Bin" containers at the retail locations as well as education for the employees and customers about the litter problem. At our stores we are following this with the installation of additional outdoor video cameras and a promise to ban any person from our stores permanently if drinking in public or littering. Due to the Covid Pandernic this project was delayed and the first Nip it in the Bin trash containers arrived and were installed last week. The educational part was scheduled for September 15th after our summer visitors are gone. We may have to delay until October 15th if the Summer guests decide to stay later this year due to delayed school starts in some areas. I personally know many of the liquor retailers on the Upper Cape and I am asked all the time when this project will be available to all. As the test markets begin and the educational and enforcement actions are successful, I believe we will have close to 1.00%participation by Upper Cape retailefs. Our problem is with I to 5% of the nip customers that litter our neighborhoods with nip litter. With education, enforcement, and maybe a Little bit of public shaming I believe this community can change the behavior of this small minority and still allow the majority of the nip customers, who are responsible consumers, to shop in Mashpee. We probably should have started this approach 4 years ago but most people used the reduction of soda container litter as the model to follow, resulting in thre-e years of believing that a solution could be found on Beacon Hill in an amendment to the bottle bill.