SECTION 1. Chapter 21 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following section:
Section 68. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-
“Biodegradable”, entirely made of organic materials such as wood, paper, bagasse or cellulose; or bioplastics that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials D7081 standard.
“Compostable”, bioplastic materials certified to meet the American Society for Testing and Materials standard D6400 or D6868.
“Food establishment”, an operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends, or otherwise provides food for human consumption. This includes without limitation restaurants and food trucks.
“Recyclable”, material that can be sorted, cleansed, and reconstituted for the purpose of using the altered form in the manufacture of a new product.
“Reusable”, food service ware that can be used more than once in the same form by a food establishment.
(b) All retail food establishments shall use food service ware that is biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, or reusable for any food prepared or packaged on premises.
(c) The department shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary for the enforcement of this section.
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.