US: Town bans sale of one-litre or less water bottles

By James Wilmore | 3 January 2013

PET water bottles, one-litre or less, are banned in Concord

A US town has banned the sale of water in PET bottles smaller than one litre (34 ounces).

Concord in Massachusetts introduced the by-law on Tuesday (1 January) after councillors previously voted 403 to 364 in favour of the restriction. The Attorney General approved the measure in September.

The move is a bid to cut waste and encourage the use of tap water.

Under the by-law, retailers will get a warning for their first offence. A second violation will receive a fine of US$25, with a third and each subsequent offence getting a $50 penalty.

However, an exemption will kick-in in the case of an emergency affecting the availability of drinking water.

It is not the first place to introduce restrictions on bottled water. In 2009, the Australian town of Bundanoon, in New South Wales, introduced a ban on all bottled water.

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Sectors: Legislation, Water