Could Concord’s Bottle Ban Make a Splash in Acton?

Concord’s first-in-the-nation bottled water-banning bylaw has been upheld by the Attorney General’s Office and survived a repeal attempt at annual Town Meeting this spring, but it has not spilled over into any surrounding communities.

Not yet, anyway.

This Thursday, Sept. 26, the Assabet River Valley Green-Rainbow Party will host a presentation and discussion on the bottle ban at 6:45 p.m. at the Acton Memorial Library.

Jill Appel, a key supporter of the bottle ban and catalyst of the Concord On Tap campaign, will speak about the bylaw’s history and implementation.

Concord’s landmark bylaw--which bans the sale of flavorless, unenhanced drinking water in single-serve PET plastic bottles of 1 liter or less, which was approved last year and took effect Jan. 1.

Initially introduced more than three years ago, the bottle ban has appeared on four consecutive Town Meeting warrants. This past April, Concord voters narrowly shot down a petitioner’s bid to repeal the bylaw. 

After the ban took effect, Concord businesses found ways to a adjust -- by giving away water, selling glass or plant-made bottles or providing tap water to thirsty customers -- and some Acton businesses ushered in the New Year with a modest uptick in bottled water sales. 

TELL US: What do you think about Concord's bottle ban? Would you like to see it spill over into Acton?