BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Maura Healey signed an government order Thursday that she says will make Massachusetts the primary state to ban the acquisition of single-use plastic bottles by state companies.
Massachusetts buys about 100,000 plastic water bottles yearly.
The order prohibits all Massachusetts legislation enforcement places of work and companies from buying any single-use plastic bottles weighing lower than 21 fluid ounces besides in emergency conditions. Haley, a Democrat, stated the chief order takes impact instantly.
Haley additionally signed a second government order that she stated would set the state’s biodiversity conservation targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050, and set up methods to attain these targets. She stated the safety could be among the many first to increase to coastal and marine habitats.
“Massachusetts has a protracted historical past of being first within the nation, and we’re proud to be the primary to set long-term biodiversity targets and ban state companies from buying single-use plastic bottles,” Healey stated Thursday.
She stated the state will think about methods like “marine protected areas” to assist make sure that coastal and ocean habitats essential for biodiversity can get better and thrive whereas additionally guaranteeing the state helps keep climate-resilient landscapes into the longer term.
Different states and the federal authorities ought to comply with the state’s lead, stated Christy Leavitt, marketing campaign director on the conservation group Oceana.
“Single-use plastics are polluting our oceans, destroying ecosystems, and harming our local weather,” Levitt stated in a written assertion. “The one resolution is to cease the issue at its supply by decreasing the quantity of plastic corporations produce and use.”
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