Voters in Concord, MA, reject bottled water ban

Voters in Concord, MA, voted down a proposal to ban the sale of single-serve bottled water. The Town of Concord faced an influx of attention from anti-bottled water activists seeking total bans on bottled water sales. Among the groups supporting the losing case for prohibition of bottled water were Food and Water Watch and Corporate Accountability Intl. 

A second, non-binding proposal seeking to "educate" Concord voters on the environmental issues surrounding bottled water did pass. This measure does not include language that would address all plastic containers from all beverages and other sources. 

In a statement released about the vote, the Intl. Bottled Water Assn. (IBWA) recognized the effort made by the Concord Board of Health and Emerson Hospital in Concord, which sent individual letters opposing the ban, citing public health issues if bottled water was not readily available to its citizens. The group also acknowledged that more can be done to enhance recycling in the locale, especially in public space recycling during warm summer months when packaged beverage sales are high and non-resident tourists play an important role in the local economy.

IBWA president and CEO Joe Doss remarked, "We commend the citizens of Concord for recognizing the importance of bottled water as a safe, healthy, convenient beverage.We also want to thank the Northeast Bottled Water Association (NEBWA) and Concord-based businesses for their tireless efforts in alerting Concord voters to the effects on the local economy of a total prohibition on the sale of bottled water."

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