Town meeting members will consider a proposal to ban single-use, plastic takeout containers and utensils in Falmouth on April 10. Specifically, the body will decide whether to adopt a new plastic reduction bylaw advanced via citizen’s petition by resident Philip Gessin. The measure would prohibit food establishments from dispensing prepared foods to customers in disposable containers made of plastic and bar them from providing plastic utensils.
Falmouth is the first of seven Cape towns where such a ban will be considered, according to Gessin. The ban, if passed, would institute a written warning for a first offense, a $150 fine for a second offense and $300 for a third and subsequent offenses. Businesses would have 18 months to transition to plastic-free takeout ware, with the ban taking effect in September 2024.
“The initiative in Falmouth represents the aspiration for all of Cape Cod to eliminate single-use takeout and cutlery materials,” said Gessin, a member of the Cape Cod environmental advocacy group Sustainable Practices. He said the plastic reduction bylaw, developed by the group, is expected also to be taken up in Brewster, Eastham, Harwich, Provincetown, and Sandwich.