A new harbinger of spring in Needham has come in the form of initiatives from Green Needham to replace single-use plastic products used in town with more sustainable alternatives.
The group succeeded at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting in prohibiting retailers from offering single-use plastic bags at checkout. And last May, Town Meeting approved a Green Needham-sponsored ban on polystyrene (Styrofoam) containers, plastic stirrers and plastic splash guards.
This year, Green Needham is facing some opposition to its latest proposed article that would prohibit establishments from “using or providing utensils, dishes, or containers made from black plastic.” There is less resistance to a “Skip the Stuff” provision where single-use utensils or condiments could not be provided at food establishments unless a customer specifically requested them.
The main pushback to the black plastic ban is coming from the Charles River Regional Chamber and its members from Needham’s restaurants and other food establishments. At a March 11 Select Board public hearing, the chamber’s Max Woolf and French Press Bakery & Cafe owner Jay Spencer vigorously opposed the black plastic ban, claiming it puts an undue burden on small restaurants while providing a mostly symbolic public policy benefit.
The Select Board meeting showcased the pros and cons of dislodging plastic products.
The sheer volume of plastic waste, say those advocating for the changes, combined with its slow decomposition, overwhelms waste management systems.
In the case of black plastic food containers there are added fears of a possible public health issue due to black plastic having been derived from recycled electronics products and can contain toxic chemicals including heavy metals and flame retardants. The science is still emerging, but Green Needham cited studies that it says show “these chemicals can migrate into food, especially when heated, and pose a hazard to human health.”
These and other points were raised at the hearing by Kathy Raiz, who has been Green Needham’s lead person on its plastic initiatives, along with Rob Fernandez. Raiz said Green Needham has had multiple meetings with chamber reps and was aware of their concerns.
“We definitely look to partner with people,” she said after the Select Board hearing of the group’s desire for a collaborative approach. “We don’t want to come in and push things through. Everything that we’ve tried to introduce into Needham from a plastic reduction standpoint, we’ve always tried to make sure that there are reasonable alternatives available.”
Green Needham has applied that “reasonable alternative” standard in holding off on planned initiatives that would have targeted plastic water bottles. Those initiatives have been deferred due to the seeming lack of a viable alternative product, such as aluminum cans or cardboard containers.
Raiz is not convinced there are no viable alternatives to black plastic. She also believes there was a misunderstanding that all plastic was being banned. “It just eliminates black plastic. So white plastic is still an option,” she noted, as is clear plastic.
“Newton banned anything that was not recyclable over a year ago,” she added of that community’s more stringent standard. “I looked to Newton, where many restaurants said it wasn’t a problem. And to my own research, which found comparable options available.” White plastic, she said, could be found at similar prices.
“I think that it’s doable,” she said, “but our big push is the harm that plastic — black plastic — can cause to human health.”
Spencer, who has owned and operated French Press since 2015, disputed the contention that alternatives to black plastic would not cause economic hardship, especially for smaller establishments that operate on thin profit margins and don’t have the purchasing power to receive favorable pricing on supplies. He also objects to the ban on principle.
“It should be done at the state level just like they did for eggs in creating cage-free eggs,” said Spencer, referring to the 2021 law that was prompted by a 2016 state ballot question and requires a “cage-free housing system” for egg-laying hens.
Spencer stated his general opposition to municipalities creating local regulations that put local businesses at a competitive disadvantage. “If you want to have the maximum amount of impact, nickeling and diming the Needham community is not going to make a difference.”
Woolf, the chamber’s public policy and government relations manager, said the timing of the change concerns the chamber as it coincides with the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs and overall economic volatility and tumult.
Speaking after the hearing, chamber President Greg Reibman said he appreciates Green Needham and its approach. “We’ve had a really good relationship with Green Needham and with Kathy and Rob in particular,” he said, adding the chamber did not dismiss the proposal out of hand.
“The chamber recognizes that these environmental issues are significant challenges, and that we need to find productive solutions to them,” he said. While the chamber at no point committed to supporting the warrant article, it did consider not opposing it.
“Our position evolved a little bit, not so much about the (black plastic), but just everything else that’s going on,” Reibman said, referring to the same issues Woolf noted. He also referenced data that showed Needham restaurants are struggling in general.
He cited a Boston Business Journal study that showed, since the end of the pandemic, restaurant revenue was up in Newton (by 18 percent) and Wellesley (25 percent) compared to 2019, but up only 7 percent in Needham.
“Needham restaurants are really struggling in lots of ways, and this just feels like a really bad time to give them any kind of regulation.”
Speaking of the public health concerns, Reibman said, “I agree they are scary and every one of us should be concerned about what we eat and what our kids eat. I don’t know that the Needham Select Board is the place to fix that problem.”
The Select Board asked only a handful of questions before voting to close the hearing. It will vote at its next meeting (March 25) on whether to add the proposed article to the Town Meeting warrant.
While “Skip the Stuff” has ruffled few feathers, the black plastic ban looks like a tougher sell, although none of the five members fully committed to a position.
Select Board Chair Kevin Keane did refer to “Skip the Stuff” as a “slam dunk.” And Vice Chair Heidi Frail echoed the chamber speakers when she said, “I am very concerned about the uncertainty just generally in our environment about pricing.
“This seems like a health issue,” she said of the black plastic ban. “For me, Skip the Stuff? Easy. Black plastic? I think I’m inclined to wait.”
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