York teens try again to ban single-use plastics in town
YORK, Maine — A group of teens have taken another stab at passing a ban on single-use plastics townwide after their proposed ordinance failed to reach the ballot last year.
Since December, students from York High School have worked with representatives from the business community on hammering out an ordinance to ban plastic forks, knives, containers and other disposable items. They have done so on a committee formed last year by the town Selectboard to examine how to ban plastics while remaining fair and flexible to business owners.
Aidan Ring, a YHS junior and one of the students pushing the ban, is optimistic their work with the committee has yielded a more reasonable expectation for business owners. Unlike the first proposal presented to the Selectboard in 2023, the new draft ordinance leaves it open for business owners to decide how to replace their single-use plastics.
“We really didn’t change that much, essentially,” Ring said. “We just used kind of the business owner perspective to make sure there wasn’t anything in there that was too much of a hardship.”
Now, the ordinance is under review by town staff under the guidance of York planning coordinator Taylor Maguire. The proposed ordinance will then be reviewed by the Selectboard at its Jan. 22 meeting, with informational sessions scheduled for business owners to attend.
The sessions will be at the York Public Library. The first session will be on Jan. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. by the fireplace, with the second on Jan. 25 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Wheeler Room. Maguire said the committee has only had a small glimpse of the business community’s feedback on the proposed ordinance.
“We recognize that the business owners that we have on the committee might not be reflective of York as a whole,” Maguire said. “We want to make sure that we’re reaching out, filling any gaps that we might not have foreseen.”
New ordinance gives business owners flexibility
The students behind the ban on single-use plastics started working on the proposal last year as part of their work with the York High School Eco Club. They said they were inspired by past successful efforts by York students to pass ordinances banning plastic bags and polystyrene products.
When the students presented their draft ordinance to the Selectboard last year, the ordinance received some backlash from business owners. Concerns included the changes would become burdensome for businesses, like a requirement for owners to switch to composting. Some business owners said it would be a challenge to find alternatives for certain plastic products like clamshell containers.
The Selectboard chose not to move the proposed ban to the ballot for the 2023 May referendum. Instead, the Selectboard formed a committee to include students and stakeholders. The committee was tasked with redrafting the ordinance and bringing it back to the board for consideration on the May ballot.
Maguire said the committee has met every week since December to rewrite the ordinance. She said with Caitlynn Ramsey of the Anchorage Inn and Jason Miller of York54, the committee has made unanimous changes to the proposal, resulting in the current draft.
“We actually have the activists and the business owners having that dialogue,” Maguire said.
The code enforcement officer would enforce the ordinance, with a $100 fine for the first violation. A second offense would result in a $200 fine, and a third offense $500.
The ordinance would prohibit plastic straws, stir sticks, cups and utensils at stores, restaurants, coffee/tea shops, cafeterias, caterers, food delivery services, or town-sponsored events. Exceptions include healthcare facilities as suggested last year by Selectboard Chair Todd Frederick.
A critical difference in the new proposed ordinance is it does not mandate how business owners replace singleuse plastics. The original proposed ban required business owners to “create and promote a program that incentivizes customers to bring their own cup.” It also required them to provide a system for transporting compostable food ware to a commercial compost facility.
Ramsey, who had concerns about the initial proposed ordinance, said the new one is more flexible and palatable for business owners. The new proposal allows compostable food ware when reusables are not available. It only requires that “every effort” be made to have them collected and composted through a “town-contracted commercial composting program, if available.”
The proposed ordinance also does not mandate that businesses institute a program promoting customers to bring their own cups.
To help business owners replace their plastics, the committee plans to provide what Maguire called a “tool kit” for finding alternatives. Ramsey said the tool kit — a collection of informational sheets — shows what products are available to replace plastics. She said products exist to replace disposable cups and straws.
The alternative products are more expensive. Ramsey said the difference in price for a single item could be as much as 6 cents, which adds up when buying products in bulk of 1,000 at a time.
Ramsey is satisfied with the work the committee has done despite the tradeoffs for business owners. She believes the new proposed ordinance accomplishes the goal of reducing plastics while helping business owners transition more comfortably.
“It’s certainly a big problem,” Ramsey said of single-use plastics. Small changes are going to be what impacts things.”
Selectboard members and students optimistic about ordinance
Selectboard members spoke with Maguire Monday about what to expect from the new proposed ban on singleuse plastics. Board member Robert Palmer said the new version sounds like an improvement for those concerned about the compromise between business owners and advocates for reducing plastics.
“I think it will be great to hear from business owners how they feel about it,” Palmer said of the coming informational meetings at York Public Library.
Maxine Adelson, one of the teens in the York High School Eco Club, said the process of crafting an ordinance has been a good experience. If the Selectboard chooses to place their proposal on the ballot in May, she said she is confident voters will support it.
“I think the voters will like it,” Adelson said. “I think there’s a lot of raised awareness about environmental issues, specifically our plastic crisis.”