Plastic Water Bottles Are Now Banned at These Massachusetts Locations

Massachusetts is a great place to live and its residents are proud to call it home. There are many reasons to love the Bay State, but one of the biggest reasons folks love to live the strong regulations are surrounding the health of its residents and the environment.

At times, some Massachusetts laws seem a bit crazy. Antiquated rules surrounding facial hair, sleeping nude, and even how you're allowed to sing the national anthem are still on the books in Massachusetts. However, many of the laws in Massachusetts, as overbearing as they might seem, are in place to help protect people and the environment.

2023 saw the inauguration of a new governor in Massachusetts as Maura Healy took office in January. By September, she had signed a new executive order surrounding the purchase of single-use plastic water bottles. While some municipalities had already adopted bans on these environmental polluters, there had been no state-wide regulation up until that point.

Massachusetts Bans Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles at All State Agencies

In September of 2023, Governor Healy banned the purchase of all single-use plastic water bottles under 21 ounces, at all state agencies. State agencies are any department, agency, or other instrumentality that is governed by the state. Think state house, RMVs, state courts, etc, etc. While that might not seem like a huge deal, over 100,000 plastic water bottles are purchased a year by those agencies, according to PBS.

In addition to the state agency bottle ban, Governor Healy signed an additional executive order committing the state to biodiversity conservation strategies and goals for 2030, 2040, and 2050.