On March 1, Newton proved itself again a leader of sustainability when the city passed the expanded sustainable packaging ordinance to help reduce single use plastic waste. Presently, only six other communities in Massachusetts–Andover, Brookline, Concord, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Northampton, and Williamstown–also require that food service ware be reusable, compostable, or recyclable. About 380 million tons of plastics are produced every year worldwide and up to 50% of that is plastic that is used once and thrown away (Plastic Oceans International). Plastic waste presents a danger to the environment and to human health as micro plastic and toxics through added chemicals.
Check out the CBS coverage of the ordinance rollout featuring Green Newton board member Alan Gordon.
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