In an issue with environmental, health and water rights ramifications, Concord, Mass. last week became the first U.S. city to ban the sale of individual-size bottled water. The state’s Attorney General approved amendments that the town made to its bylaws after a 403-364 vote by citizens.
Supporters of the hotly-debated measure cited the waste caused by discarded plastic bottles, the potential for chemicals to leach from the bottles and cause health problems and the privatization of a vital natural resource.