Massachusetts has not enacted a statewide polystyrene ban, but dozens of cities and towns prohibit foam food containers, and state procurement rules limit foam in agency purchases.
Massachusetts allows municipalities to restrict expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam containers for food service, and over 70 cities and towns including Boston, Cambridge, and Amherst have done so. State procurement policies under Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs guidelines limit agency purchases of EPS products. Statewide bills to ban polystyrene have been introduced but not passed. Local ordinances typically cover food service ware but exempt prepackaged retail foods, with phased compliance dates and small business exemptions.
Local fines range from $100 to $300 per day for non-compliant retailers, with most ordinances providing warning periods before assessment of penalties.
Bourne, MA
Bourne follows Massachusetts state law (MGL Chapter 48, Section 13) — open-air fires require a permit from the Bourne Fire Chief and may only be set between ...
Barnstable County, MA
Massachusetts is the only U.S. state with a complete ban on consumer fireworks. Under MGL Chapter 148, Section 39, no person may sell, possess, or use any fi...
Barnstable County, MA
Barnstable County (Cape Cod) does NOT issue short-term rental permits or licenses. Under the Massachusetts Constitution, the Home Rule Amendment (Article 89)...
Barnstable County, MA
Barnstable County (Cape Cod) is a low-lying coastal peninsula with extensive Atlantic, Cape Cod Bay, and Nantucket/Vineyard Sound exposure to V/VE wave-actio...
Barnstable County, MA
Barnstable County (Cape Cod) does not enforce its own pool barrier ordinance; pool fencing across the county's 15 towns (Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatha...
Barnstable County, MA
Barnstable County does not regulate accessory dwelling units (ADUs) at the county level. Massachusetts is a home-rule state under Article 89 of the Massachus...
See how Bourne's polystyrene foam rules rules stack up against other locations.
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