


Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) announced that Massachusetts agencies will no longer be permitted to purchase single-use plastic bottles.
She announced the ban on Monday at the Clinton Global Initiative, a summit held by the Clinton Foundation in New York City, leading up to a panel discussion on sustainable ocean conservation practices.
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“We know that plastic waste, plastic production are among the leading threats to our oceans, our climate, and environmental justice,” Healey said. “In government, we have an obligation, we also have an opportunity to not only stop contributing to this damage but to chart a better path forward.”
Healey’s plastic ban comes in the form of an executive order, making Massachusetts the first state to stop buying single-use plastics. A spokesperson for Healey said her administration plans to issue executive orders on Thursday to make the ban official, according to the Boston Globe.
The Massachusetts governor announced a second plan during her remarks to establish “biodiversity conservation targets” for 2030, 2040, and 2050.
“Currently, in Massachusetts, over 430 species are listed as endangered. Scientists estimate that worldwide, 1 million face extinction," Healey said. "We’ve spent decades working to protect our natural resources, but with climate change accelerating the decline, biodiversity loss threatens public health, economic stability, food security, and our emissions goals."
The state ban on single-use plastics comes a decade after Concord, Massachusetts, passed a landmark ordinance prohibiting the sale of plastic water bottles in 2013.
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While Massachusetts is the first state to ban single-use plastic bottles, eight states and numerous cities have placed bans on plastic bags. The states include Connecticut, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon, and Vermont.
In 2022, the Interior Department announced that the sale of single-use plastic will be banned on public lands and national parks by 2032.