Bottled Water Ban Reversed

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has issued a statement supporting a ruling by the attorney general (AG) of Massachusetts that reversed a ban on the sale of bottled water in Concord, Mass.

According to the IBWA, Alexandria, Va., “The Massachusetts AG’s office on July 8, 2010, overturned a decision made last spring at an annual Town Meeting in Concord that would have completely banned the sale of bottled water within the town limits. The AG office’s decision declaring Concord’s vote to be null and void was based on procedural errors.”

The groups said it supports the AG’s decision “because it will allow consumers to continue to have access to safe, healthy, convenient bottled water products.”

In its news release, the IBWA also notes that Concord’s attempted sales ban on bottled water “came only a few days before nearby Boston endured a major boil alert leaving 2 million people without clean tap water over a three-day period.”

Regarding the sale, disposal or recycling of its product packaging, the IBWA states, “Bottled water is just one of thousands of products packaged in plastic, and there is no reason for it to be treated any differently. All product containers and packaging require responsible, post-consumer disposal through comprehensive recycling programs – something IBWA and its members fully support.”