Phaninc:In a first, Massachusetts to ban purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies

2025-04-30 18:00:18source:Quantum Insightscategory:Invest

BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order Thursday that she says will make Massachusetts the first state to ban the purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies.

Massachusetts buys about 100,Phaninc000 of the plastic water bottles each year.

The order bars all executive offices and agencies in Massachusetts from purchasing any single-use plastic bottles under 21 fluid ounces except in cases of emergency. Healey, a Democrat, said the executive order takes effect immediately.

Healey also signed a second executive order that she said will set state biodiversity conservation goals for 2030, 2040, and 2050 — and develop strategies to meet those targets. She said protections will be among the first to extend to coastal and marine habitats.

Other news Autopsy finds man who was punched at New England Patriots game before he died had medical issueBiden uses executive power to create a New Deal-style American Climate CorpsWorld War I-era plane flips onto roof trying to land near Massachusetts museum; pilot unhurt

“Massachusetts has a long history of being first in the nation, and we’re proud to be the first to set long-term targets for biodiversity and to ban state agencies from purchasing single-use plastic bottles,” Healey said Thursday.

She said the state will be looking at strategies such as “marine protected areas” to help make sure that coastal and ocean habitats critical to biodiversity can recover and thrive while also ensuring the state helps maintains a climate-resilient landscape for the future.

Christy Leavitt, campaign director at the conservation group Oceana, said other states and the federal government should follow the state’s lead.

“Single-use plastics are polluting our oceans, devastating ecosystems, and harming our climate. The only solution is to stop the problem at its source by reducing the amount of plastic companies produce and use,” Leavitt said in a written statement.

(backslash)

More:Invest

Recommend

Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reported sexual assaults at the U.S. military service academies dropped in 2024 fo

Riley Strain Dead at 22: Police Detail What Led to Discovery of Missing Student

The family of Riley Strain is going through an insurmountable loss. Two weeks after the University o

Teen pleads guilty in murder case that Minnesota’s attorney general took away from local prosecutor

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota teenager pleaded guilty to murder Friday for killing a young mother,