Newtown Township has joined a growing list of municipalities in Pennsylvania banning certain single-use plastic.

 

In a 4 to 1 vote on Wednesday night [6 December 2023], the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance that will ban restaurants and businesses in the township from providing single-use carry out plastic bags and Styrofoam food containers to their customers except when required for food safety. The ordinance would also prohibit restaurants and businesses from providing single-use plastic straws and utensils except by request from the customer. The ordinance is scheduled to take effect on April 9, 2024.

 

Snyder joined fellow Democrats on the board Dennis Fisher, John Mack and Phil Calabro in voting in favor of the motion. Republican Supervisor Kyle Davis voted against the motion.

 

“The waste reason is a good reason to be concerned," said Davis. "I just don’t like the government's interference in everyone’s lives. I don’t like government intrusion.”

 

His sentiments were echoed by several residents from Newtown Grant who attended the sparsely attended meeting. Both public commenters said the issue should be left to the business community and their customers.

 

“The environmental thing, it is a problem,” admitted resident John D’Aprile. “But let someone higher than Newtown Township take care of this. It’s kind of ridiculous to be doing this in a small township. In a large city, okay. If you look who’s doing this, it’s the Democrat cities. Stop pushing your agenda on little Newtown,” he told the supervisors.

 

Snyder disagreed with D’Aprile’s characterization of the ordinance as a single party effort.

 

“This is not a Democrat thing. This is a bi-partisan thing. If you go to every business in the township, no matter what affiliation they have, they are for helping the environment,” said Snyder. “Ninety-five percent of our businesses have done this already and the other five percent are willing to comply.

 

“This is not just little Newtown doing this. This is a grassroots effort that has been, by and large, successful,” said Snyder. “We’re doing the serious work to let our governor and our legislators know how serious we are about this.”

 

More...