York first Maine town to ban single-use plastics: Here’s when ordinance goes into effect

YORK, Maine — The students behind a recently approved town-wide single-use plastics ban are celebrating their victory, but they and others believe there is still work to do to combat plastic pollution.

The ban passed at the York town referendum May 18 by a vote of 2,192 in favor and 1,556 against. The York High School Eco Club took two attempts in the last year to get an ordinance banning plastics in town, the first of its kind for a town in Maine.

The Eco Club’s first proposal was not forwarded to the ballot as the Selectboard asked the students to rework the ordinance to make it more palatable for businesses. The students returned this year with another proposal that removed cups and lids from the ban, and the Selectboard voted unanimously to forward the proposal to the May referendum.

“Pleased with its passage,” Selectboard Chair Todd Frederick said. “I’ve heard from many voters who supported it.”

Maxine Adelson, one of the York High School students behind the ordinance, hopes that York can serve as a model for the rest of the state as it was in past years. The town approved bans on plastic bags and polystyrene, which later led to bans at the state level.

“This is definitely going to be a big shift,” Adelson said of the newly approved ban. “It’s feasible. It will change a lot of the habits of our community and tourists by changing our throwaway.”

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The new ordinance will take effect in 2025. It will prohibit plastic straws, stir sticks, and utensils at stores, restaurants, coffee/tea shops, cafeterias, caterers, food delivery services, or town-sponsored events.

The ordinance will be enforced by the code enforcement officer with a $100 fine for the first violation. A second offense would result in a $200 fine, and a third offense $500. Exceptions include healthcare facilities as suggested last year by Frederick.

Some business owners said they are supportive of the ordinance. Restaurants like York Harbor Inn had already done away with plastic, while Caitlynn Ramsey of the Sun and Surf Restaurant worked with the Eco Club students to craft the final draft of the ordinance.

Some, however, are concerned about the cost that new non-plastic products will inevitably cause.

Patti Krukoff-Bernier, who runs both Nick’s Beachside Grille and Molly O’s at Short Sands Beach, said a quick search of inventory for sale online shows alternatives to plastic forks run as high as 25 cents an item. Plasticware costs pennies in comparison, she said.

She also said she is concerned about the quality of alternative straws that can melt or bend more easily than a plastic one.

“If it’s going to be altogether more expensive, and the alternative is going to cost the consumer,” Krukoff-Bernier said.

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Students and activists say more bans on the horizon for plastics

Students involved in the project said they understand the cost for businesses will be higher when buying non-plastic items. Aidan Ring, one of those students, believes it is still worth it. He said the hope is that their plastics ban inspires other communities or the state Legislature to follow York’s lead.

“I think people understand it’s a cost,” Ring said. “Honestly, at some point, the whole state will be in this together, you know? And also, plastic pollution is a cost that all of society has to share.”

Victoria Simon, chair of the town recycling committee and a community advisor to the Eco Group, believes the town will eventually benefit from a ban on plastic cups and lids in the future. Simon said the victory at the polls in May was a big step for York but that a change in culture toward individual use of reusable cups at takeout restaurants will take the town even further in its quest to eliminate plastic pollution.

“I’m not saying it’s going to happen in six months,” Simon said, “But I think in the future, we will work on cups.”

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