Revere's Single-Use Items: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles single-use items a little differently. In Revere, Massachusetts, there are 4 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Polystyrene Foam Rules

Revere bans food establishments from serving prepared food in polystyrene, PVC or PET containers, and bans retail establishments from selling polystyrene food service ware or foam packing material to customers. Section 8.04.100 imposes a $50 fine for a first offense and $100 for each one after it.

Key details: Banned for food service: Polystyrene, PVC, PET food ware. Banned for retail sale: Polystyrene ware and foam packing. First penalty: $50 (after warning). Repeat penalty: $100 per violation. Effective date: July 1, 2022.

A food or retail establishment gets a warning notice for its first polystyrene violation under Section 8.04.100. A second violation inside a year of that warning triggers a $50 penalty, and every later violation costs $100, though the director may not stack more than one penalty in a seven-day span. Payment is due within fifteen calendar days of a notice of violation, and unpaid fines can be pursued in Chelsea District Court or Suffolk Superior Court.

This is one of the stricter rules in Revere's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Takeout Containers

Revere requires food establishments that use disposable takeout containers, cups, lids or utensils to choose biodegradable, compostable, reusable or recyclable materials, and bans polystyrene, PVC and PET versions outright. Section 8.04.100 defines "disposable food service ware" to expressly include service ware for takeout foods.

Key details: Required materials: Biodegradable, compostable, reusable or recyclable. Banned takeout materials: Polystyrene, PVC, PET. Compostable standard: ASTM D6400 or D6868 certified. First penalty: $50 (after warning). Hardship waiver: Renewable 1-year, director's approval.

A food establishment caught using non-compliant takeout packaging, such as unlabeled or uncertified disposable ware, first gets a warning notice from the director of municipal inspections under Section 8.04.100(D). A second violation inside a year costs $50, and every subsequent violation costs $100, capped at one penalty per seven-day period, with fifteen calendar days to pay once a notice of violation issues.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Revere actively enforces its takeout containers requirements.

Plastic Straw Rules

Revere's 2022 food-ware ordinance bans polystyrene, PVC and PET food service ware, but it expressly carves straws out of that ban. Section 8.04.100(C)(4) states straws are allowed and exempt from the regulations, so Revere has no local restriction on plastic straws.

Key details: Straws: Expressly exempt from the food-ware ban. Governing clause: Section 8.04.100(C)(4), Ordinance 21-368. Effective date: July 1, 2022. Straws-on-request rule: None in Revere's code.

There is no penalty to describe here because Section 8.04.100(C)(4) affirmatively exempts straws from enforcement; a Revere business cannot be cited under this ordinance for its straw practices. General food-service items outside the straw exemption remain subject to the section's warning-then-fine schedule of $50 for a first monetary penalty and $100 for each one after, enforced by the director of municipal inspections.

Revere is more permissive than most cities when it comes to plastic straw rules. That said, there are still limits.

Plastic Bag Rules

Revere bars every retail establishment, from restaurants to pharmacies to grocery and liquor stores, from handing customers a disposable plastic shopping bag at checkout. Stores may still sell reusable bags or offer recyclable paper bags instead. Violators face a $50 fine for a first offense and $100 to $490 for repeat offenses under Section 8.04.090.

Key details: Banned item: Disposable plastic checkout bags at retail. First offense penalty: $50 (after warning notice). Repeat offense penalty: $100 to $490. Enforcing agency: Department of Inspectional Services. Full compliance date: December 31, 2019 (smallest stores).

After the required warning notice, a retail establishment's first monetary penalty under Section 8.04.090 is capped at $50. A second violation within a year, and every one after it, carries a penalty of not less than $100 nor more than $490. Inspectional Services is the enforcing department, and the ordinance took full effect for even the smallest retailers by December 31, 2019.

This is one of the stricter rules in Revere's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

The Bottom Line

Revere is tougher than many cities when it comes to single-use items. Out of the 4 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Revere, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Revere's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.