Select Board Mulls Black Plastic Ban

March 12, 2025
• With Town Meeting approaching, the board discussed taking up two plastics reduction articles, one more controversial than the other.

Representatives from the business community and a sustainability advocate clashed at the Select Board’s Tuesday public hearing over a proposed black plastic ban that may appear at Town Meeting this May.

Green Needham put forward two initiatives it hopes the board will sponsor on the warrant: a black plastic ban, which targets takeout containers, and Skip the Stuff, which would require restaurants to only include specific items to customers upon request, such as plastic utensils and napkins.

While some board members and the Charles River Regional Chamber have signaled their support for Skip the Stuff, others opposed the black plastic ban, citing current financial uncertainty and fears of over-regulation.

Black plastic poses adverse health effects, as they’re made from recycled electronics that contain flame retardants, Kathy Raiz of Green Needham said. When exposed to hot or acidic substances, those toxins can leak into food, studies suggest.

The containers also cannot be recycled because the sorting technology at recycling facilities cannot detect them, meaning they end up in a landfill, Raiz said. Through her own research and two surveys, Raiz said the cost for restaurants to switch from black plastic to white plastic, which is recyclable over four ounces, seems negligible.

“I think that it seems reasonable to me to try to find alternatives, considering the health implications and the waste implications with black plastic,” Raiz said.

A mandate, however, should be left up to the state, argued Jay Spencer, owner of French Press Bakery & Cafe. He questioned why restaurants should be responsible for materials the recycling centers can’t process and called Raiz’s information “not factually correct.”

While Raiz suggested white containers are more affordable, Spencer said he would pay nearly double for them. White containers are also not available for purchase at Restaurant Depot, where he purchases his supplies, he said.

“If you want to have the maximum amount of impact, nickel-and-diming the Needham community is not gonna make a difference,” Spencer told the board.

Newton enacted both a black plastic ban and Skip the Stuff, which some restaurant owners reported has worked well, according to a poll of Charles River Regional Chamber members. Businesses found comparable costs and have not encountered supply chain concerns, but the majority of the 14 respondents anticipate future cost increases with the containers specifically.

“That, coupled with every restaurant’s concern about any ban, especially in this climate of uncertainty, has led us to think that this might not be the time to do a black plastic ban,” Max Wolfe of the chamber said.

Raiz expressed confusion regarding the chamber’s stance, stating she had believed they supported the black plastic ban. Wolfe clarified the chamber is “evolving on this.” “I don’t think we ever supported the ordinance outright,” he said.

Should the ban move to a Town Meeting vote, the chamber requests that containers four ounces or smaller be exempt, as their white counterparts are also not recyclable.

Vice Chair Heidi Frail said she’s concerned about pricing on restaurants — the same concern she vocalized regarding a plastic water bottle ban — though she does recognize a health risk. She said she thinks it’s best to wait on a black plastic ban but fully supports Skip the Stuff.

“Although, I will say that I will be checking with restaurants that I order takeout from to make sure that my food isn’t coming in black plastic, cause yuck,” Frail said.

The comment prompted Spencer to interrupt, calling it “a very serious statement to make.” A short back-and-forth ensued, with Spencer claiming Frail’s statement calls out restaurants that use black plastic, while Frail asserted that wasn’t the intention.

On Skip the Stuff, Raiz said it’s an effort “to eliminate zero-use waste,” or the materials that are thrown away without ever being used.

“We feel it’s a win for the environment, we feel it’s a win for businesses as well, because they are going to reduce costs by not having to give out so many items,” Raiz said.

Judging by emailed comments from residents, Chair Kevin Keane said “Skip the Stuff seems to be a slam dunk.” But Spencer said he thinks the ordinance is unnecessary and would overregulate businesses. French Press no longer uses straws nor any of the plastics outlined in the article.

The Select Board will close the hearing on March 25, when they’ll also decide whether or not to sponsor the two articles on the warrant. If not, they will not be included at all. Raiz inquired about submitting a citizen’s petition instead, but the deadline to do so is March 20, Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick said.

Town Meeting previously voted to ban single-use plastic bags from retailers in 2023 and other single-use plastics last spring. Green Needham was behind both efforts.