10/19/2019 Annual Town Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Article 6 To see if the Town will vote to amend the Mashpee General Bylaws as follows, or take any other action relating thereto: Chapter 126 Article III Single Use Plastic Straw Ban §126-14 Purpose and Findings It has been found that: I. Plastic straws are expensive and difficult to collect or recycle. 2. Mashpee's proximity to water bodies means that plastic straws that go uncollected by DPW have a high chance of ending up on the beaches or in the bays or ponds within the Town. 3. Plastic straws take hundreds of years to degrade, during which time they remain hazardous to wildlife and harmful to the environment. 4. There is currently a national movement to reduce and ban the use of plastic straws, making reasonable affordable alternatives increasingly available. Because Mashpee has the regulatory authority to protect the natural environment, the economy, and the health of the Town and its citizens, this Bylaw prohibits the sale or dispensing of single use plastic straws, including those made from polyethylene,polypropylene, and polystyrene,by any food establishment,retail establishment, or public venue in the Town of Mashpee. §126-15 Definitions "Plastic Straw" shall mean any single use plastic straw including but not limited to those made from polyethylene,polypropylene, and polystyrene. "Food Establishments" shall mean any operations, including without limitation schools, farmers markets and other public venues that store, prepare, package, serve, vend or otherwise provide food for human consumption. Any establishment requiring a permit to operate in accordance with the State Sanitary Code- Minimum Sanitation Standards for Food Establishments -, 105 CMR 590.000, et. seq., shall be considered Food Establishments for the purposes of this bylaw. "Retail Establishments"shall mean any commercial business facility that sells goods directly to consumers including but not limited to grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, convenience stores, retail stores and vendors sell clothing, food, and personal items, dry cleaning services theaters and all other food services establishments. 13