The Town of York is considering a proposal drafted by York High School’s Eco Club to ban both the use and sale of single-use plastic utensils, straws, and cups.
According to the Bangor Daily News, a public hearing is scheduled for July 24 to consider placing the ordinance on the November ballot.
Only two cities nationwide, both in California, have to-date enacted bans similar to the one proposed in York.
Under the Eco Club’s ordinance, reusable dishes would be required in circumstances where dishwashing facilities are available. Alternatively, businesses that primarily offer take-out would be required to incentivize customers to bring their own dishes.
Plastic condiment packets would continue to be allowed under the ordinance, but would only be handed out at the customer’s request.
Although healthcare centers would be exempted from the Eco Club’s proposed ban, they would nonetheless be encouraged to comply with the restrictions.
Additionally, disabled individuals would be allowed under the ban to bring their own single-use utensils to restaurants.
That said, the Eco Club’s proposed ordinance would also prohibit the sale of single-use plastics by retailers in town.
Violations of the ordinance would result in a warning for a first offense, a $250 fine for a second, and a $500 fine for each additional offense.
This is not the first time that the Town of York has been at the forefront of the movement to ban plastic products. In 2015, the town banned plastic shopping bags, and four years later, it voted to ban polystyrene foam containers. Both these measures were later passed statewide.
The York High School Eco Club has already been successful at banning plastic utensils from their school cafeteria, according to reporting from the Portland Press Herald.
REUSABLE SILVERWARE AND DISHES FOR TAKE-OUT FOOD? BRING YOUR OWN FOR TAKE-OUT? HOW DOES THAT WORK WITHOUT AFFECTING SANITATION? THIS IS CRAZY!!
Just call York, Maine San Francisco East. Also you are going to AGAIN let kids dictate economic policy?! Have you people lost your minds?
Who is going to enforce this? Don’t the thought police already have a full plate keeping us in line. (Yes, pun intended). Hopefully their town government is grounded in common sense unlike what is going on in S Portland and PortlandI.
How about a program to make people more aware of the need to conserve as well as responsible disposal of such items in question. I suppose that would be boring and wouldn’t get the kiddies or their supervisor the attention. I am thankful they are doing it through what’s left of our Democracy and not making their point burning and destroying. It’s encouraging that they at a young age are participating in our system although grabbing at straws is not the way to go. Sadly, the truth of the matter is that as government grows with laws and regulations our Freedoms and Liberties decrease.