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Beginning next year, Sudbury retailers will be unable to provide single-use plastic checkout bags or sell non-reusable plastic water bottles of one liter or less. The MetroWest Daily News reported the town passed two new bylaws following a lengthy debate Tuesday night that pitted those wanting to take immediate steps to protect the environment against others concerned about acting too swiftly and hurting businesses. A group of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School students – members of the L-S Environmental Club – sponsored the measures, which encountered pushback from the Board of Health. Sudbury becomes just the second Massachusetts community – after Concord – to ban plastic water bottle sales. As of January 2017, 42 municipalities banned single-use plastic checkout bags, according to the Massachusetts Sierra Club.Both bans take effect after June 30, 2018. Stores will still be allowed to provide plastic bags without handles to contain dry cleaning, newspapers, produce, and other items. The water bottle ban applies to non-reusable plastic bottles of one liter or less containing uncarbonated, unflavored drinking water. Water can be provided for free in any form. Town Meeting rejected a proposal from the Board of Health to exempt businesses smaller than 3,500 square feet from the plastic bag ban. The board was concerned about enforcement costs. In their presentation, the L-S students said their intent was to target only larger stores, but the bylaw’s language included smaller stores as well. Bob Morrison of Sustainable Sudbury argued it was only fair to apply the same rule to all stores.The Board of Health later unsuccessfully asked the meeting to indefinitely postpone action on the plastic water bottle proposal, a position that Selectmen Susan Iuliano and Patricia Brown supported during the vote. (Brown also voted against the plastic bag ban.) Health Director Bill Murphy said the board feared stores would restock their shelves with sugary drinks in place of water or exploit loopholes by providing water bottles for free with the purchase of other items. There would be costs associated with maintaining the staffing levels necessary to ensure compliance with the regulations, possibly requiring the use of reserve funds, Town Manager Melissa Rodrigues said. During debate on the water bottle ban, resident Jack Kaiser said he used refillable water bottles frequently, but called the proposal a “nanny state article.” “We’re not known as a town that’s good for business,” Kaiser said. “I think this is going to encourage people to go to other towns to do their shopping.” Sustainable Sudbury surveyed local businesses about the two proposals. On the bag ban, seven stores were neutral, three were against the measure, and two were strong supporters, according to results shared by the group. Businesses were less receptive to the water bottle ban: Out of nine respondents, one was strongly opposed, four were opposed, three were neutral, and one was strongly in favor. “Essentially the large stores have seen these elsewhere in other communities that they are in,” Morrison said about the bag ban. “They are expecting this.”