Group Seeks to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bottles on Cape Cod

BREWSTER – An environmental organization seeking to ban single-use plastic bottles in towns across Cape Cod will screen a documentary about how the feat was accomplished in another Massachusetts town.

Brewster-based Sustainable Practices will present “Divide in Concord” at 15 venues on Cape Cod throughout April and May.

Sustainable Practices is working to place a question on the ballots of several Cape Cod towns in the spring of 2019 to ban single-serve plastic bottles.

“The plastic issue is one that is actually garnering great attention on the global scale and I think people on the national scale are becoming more cognizant of particular aspects of plastic,” said Madhavi Venkatesan, the organizer of the documentary screenings.

Venkatesan said citizens are not being educated enough about the overall impact of plastics.

“We are looking at the ban as being something that makes [the issue of plastics] relevant and the reduction of plastics, or elimination of plastic use something tangible to all of us,” she said.

Venkatesan said the documentary aims to educate the public.

“It gives people an understanding both of the education component of residents understanding the issue, the pushback that people will get and how we succeed,” she said.

“Divide in Concord” takes viewers through the whole process in the town. It first went to Town Meeting where it was defeated. Then ban eventually was passed and has been in place for a few years now.

Venkatesan said the use of single-serve plastic bottles is a trend that is relatively new.

“When I was young there were no plastic bottles,” she said. “It’s not really something that has been around forever.”

Venkatesan said since the ban passed in Concord people have gone back to using thermoses, glass and reusable plastic water bottles and water fountains.

The 15 screenings kick off Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at the Eastham Public Library.

A complete list of showings and locations can be found below.