Keep Nantucket Clean
A major part of Nantucket’s allure is our island’s natural beauty. With over 500 acres of protected conservation land, our town works hard to keep her unspoiled. But this only works if we each do our part in protecting our shores! We’ve outlined a few of our favorite environmental initiatives on the island- as well as some ways you can get involved in keeping Nantucket clean.
Single Use Plastics Ban
At the Town Meeting on October 10, 2018, Nantucket residents voted to adopt a bylaw banning certain single-use plastics from commercial sale or distribution, effective June 1, 2020.
The bylaw prohibits the following single-use, petroleum-basedplastic products from being commercially sold or distributed:
- Straws and drink stirrers (see below for more)
- Six-pack can and bottle flexible yokes
- Drinking cups and lids
- Non-compostable plates and eating utensils
- Drinking water in polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) containers of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less. Note: most single-use plastic water bottles are made of PETE, identifiable by the plastic resin code
- Non-recyclable coffee pods
- Please note, biodegradable packaging is already required under Nantucket’s 1990 Biodegradable Packaging Bylaw(§ 125-2.1).
Stop the Straw Campaign
You may have seen paper straws popping up in your drinks on Nantucket and across the country. In response to predictions by the World Economic Forum that our oceans will contain more plastic than sea life by 2050, ACKlocal launched Stop the Straw. Cutting out straws is a simple way to reduce plastic waste- it can take up to 200 years to degrade!
Local restaurants are encouraged to offer straws to customers only when asked or to replace plastic straws with compostable paper or bamboo offerings. Participants include the likes of Straight Wharf Restaurant, Cisco Brewery, and more. Try it- we promise drinking your blueberry lemonade out of hay will taste the same!
ACK Clean Team
The Nantucket Clean Team is a group of hundreds of volunteers who make it their mission to keep our beaches, bike paths, and dunes debris-free. Each Saturday, a small group meets and gets to work for an hour, cleaning up plastic cups, chip bags, and empty cans left behind by beachgoers.
The Clean Team meets rain or shine. And they can bag up to 150 pounds of trash in a single weekend! Every bit makes a difference, and they’re always welcoming new volunteers. Check out their Facebook page for the most up-to-date meeting information.
Adopt-a-Road ‘Sconset
The ‘Sconset Civic Association allows you to “adopt” a road of your choice. This means you’re committed to keeping it as litter free as possible by visiting at least once week! This allows the ‘Sconset Clean team to focus on heavily littered areas, such as ‘Sconset Beach and ‘Sconset’s bike paths. See which roads have been adopted and sign up here.
Cisco Brewers Trashion Show & Beach Cleanup
Each year, Cisco Brewery hosts a Trashion Show! With live music and some of your favorite celebrity faces gracing the catwalk, this is an awesome way to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our island’s shores. All proceeds benefit the ACK Clean Team!
The 2019 Trashon show premiers on the Cisco stage on Tuesday July 9th. Score your ticket for free by attending one of their sponsored beach cleanups! This year, Nobadeer, Cisco, and Dionis beaches were the focus of this initiative’s generosity. Photos of last year’s event can be found here.
Lisa Genthner: Born and raised on Nantucket, Lisa recently graduated from Dartmouth College, where she majored in neuroscience and minored in economics. She feels most at home on the water and loves the endless beauty and entertainment it provides. When she’s not assisting with marketing here at Fisher, you can find her working in the pottery studio or catching a sunset from the beach!