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Concord Vote Bans Sale Of Plastic Water Bottles

In what residents say is the first such ban in the country, Concord voted last night to outlaw the sale of single-serve plastic water bottles at town stores.

According to Wicked Local Concord, the provision passed in a town meeting by 39 votes, 403-364, following nearly two hours of debate.

As The Boston Globe reports:

Supporters of the ban say it will help the environment and limit consumers’ exposure to toxic chemicals. But critics fear it will harm businesses when residents cross town lines to purchase bottled water.

Opponents also say the ban could embroil the town in costly litigation and represents an attack on personal freedom.

Wicked Local has more details on the bylaw:

The bottled water bylaw ... bans the sale of non-sparkling, unflavored drinking water in single-serving polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less in Concord on or after Jan. 1, 2013. It provides for an exemption in the case of emergencies, outlines an enforcement process and also allows for a process to suspend the bylaw if necessary.

The Globe reports that stores found violating the ban would be fined, following a warning for a first offense.

Concord's town ban, which has been attempted in years prior, must be approved by the attorney general's office before it could go into effect.

This program aired on April 26, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.

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Benjamin Swasey Digital Manager
Ben is WBUR's digital news manager.

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