07/22/2019 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Agenda Packet

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Proposed Article General Bylaw Amendment, Single Use Plastic Straw Ban Bylaw. To see if the Town will vote to amend the Mashpee General Bylaws as follows: #. Single Use Plastic Straw Ban #-1. Intentions and Findings. It has been found that: 1. Plastic straws are expensive and difficult to collect or recycle. 2. Mashpee's proximity to the ocean 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. 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 a duty to protect the natural environment, the economy, and the health of its citizens, this amendment proposes to ban 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. #-2. 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 Food Code, 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 selling clothing, food, and personal items, dry cleaning services, theaters and all other food services establishments. "Public Venues" shall mean operations including but not limited to meeting halls, schools, churches,Town offices, the Senior Center, the Recreation Department, and the Library. #-3. Use Regulations Plastic straws shall not be used, dispensed, or sold by food establishments and/or retail establishments within the Town of Mashpee on or after June 1, 2019. Any stock remaining after that date shall be accepted for disposal free of charge, through June 30, 2019, at the Mashpee Transfer Station/Recycling Center.