April 22, 2023 by Cleaner Greener Hingham Committee
Over the past month, multiple citizens have joined the Select Board and the majority of the Advisory Committee in voicing their support for Cleaner Greener Hingham’s proposed ban on the sale of water in single-use plastic bottles under one gallon. Their reasons include reducing carbon emissions, reducing waste, and being responsible global citizens. They range in age and experience from a class of second graders to a retired Hingham teacher. We urge you to take the time to read these testimonials, if you have not already.
At this week’s Town Meeting, voters have a choice in terms of our journey toward a cleaner and greener future: We can take a step to move us ahead or choose to do nothing. Voting YES on Article 25 means saying yes to a small, attainable measure that will immediately help us to reduce waste and carbon emissions. Bylaws restricting the sale of single-use plastic bottles are already successfully in existence in 24 Massachusetts communities. Officials in these communities report enforcement has not posed any additional burden and that compliance issues are rare and quickly resolved. There has been little citizen opposition to these bylaws in these communities. In many cases, residents and retailers are proud to be part of the solution.
Some opponents argue that this bylaw doesn’t go far enough, saying that we should ban all single-use plastic products and that water shouldn’t be singled out. We address these concerns in the FAQ published on March 29th; In short, we recognize that water bottles represent a small portion of our overall plastic consumption and that our society will need to make numerous changes in order to phase out single-use plastic. Therefore, we are choosing to take action where we can in this moment instead of waiting for the perfect solution to appear.
We urge the voters of Hingham to take positive, tangible action on the problem of single-use plastics by voting YES on Article 25 at Town Meeting. Together, we can work towards a better future.
