Vicki chairs the Newton Plastics Reduction Working Group, dedicated to reducing use of single use plastics in the City.  She led the successful ban on polystyrene (Styrofoam) items packaged in the City and supported the ban on single use plastic bags and "nip" bottles.

From the Mayor's Newsletter of September 15, 2023

Reducing Plastics

Newton banned plastic bags in 2018 and polystyrene foam in 2020.

Why? To reduce our use of plastics and the attendant costs of disposing of them and the inevitable litter.

The City Council is on the verge of voting on an updated plastics ordinance at their next meeting on Monday, Sept. 18. (You can attend the hybrid meeting in person starting at 7:45 p.m. in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall (1000 Commonwealth Avenue), or watch on zoom at https://newtonma-gov.zoom.us/j/81428189170 or on NewTV (Comcast 9, RCN 13, 629, Verizon 33)).

If passed, this ordinance will make significant changes:

  • All retail stores that sell single use dishware (e.g., paper plates, plastic utensils, etc.) and packing materials must ensure that these items are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

  • Full service, sit-down restaurants will be required to use reusable dishware.

  • All food establishments are required to distribute food & drinks in dishware and containers (if larger than 4 ounces) that are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

  • All food establishments shall only distribute single use dining items (e.g., straws, napkins, utensils, chopsticks, condiments, etc.) upon request or at self-service stations.

  • The City of Newton, including our public schools, must serve foods & drinks prepared on-site in dishware/containers that are reusable, recyclable, or compostable and may only distribute condiment packages upon request.

  • The intentional release of helium balloons is strongly discouraged.

If passed, Newton would join Andover, Brookline, Concord, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Northampton, and Williamstown in requiring that food service ware be reusable, compostable, or recyclable. Many other communities around the country (in California, for example) and the world (including Canada and several countries in Europe) already have similar bans in place.

We asked for the input of restaurants and retailers as we drafted the ordinance. For the most part, they are comfortable with this step forward.

I’m pleased as we increasingly understand the long-term deleterious impacts of plastics and we have viable alternatives for all the items we are disallowing. A special shout-out goes to Councilor Vicki Danberg for spearheading this effort, including working closely with our staff in Health & Human Services, Sustainable Materials, Newton Public Schools and Law, and reaching out to the impacted businesses.