A by-law banning the sale of bottled water in units smaller than one litre has come into force in the US town of Concord, Massachusetts following a three-year campaign led by local activist Jean Hill.

The motion, article 32, came into effect on 1 January after being passed during the April 2012 annual town meeting by a margin of 39 votes (403 in favour, 364 opposed). A similar motion, article 38, had failed the year before by a margin of 7 votes.

By-law specifications

The new by-law states: ‘It shall be unlawful to sell non-sparkling, unflavoured drinking water in single-serving polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of one litre (34 ounces) or less in the Town of Concord on or after January 1, 2013.’

Those who choose not to adhere to the by-law face an official warning following their first offence, with a $25 (£15) fine accompanying a second offence and a $50 fine imposed for subsequent offences thereafter.

However, in the event of an emergency ‘adversely affecting the availability and/or quality of drinking water’ the sale of smaller water bottles would be permitted to resume ‘until seven days after such declaration has ended’.

The by-law may also be suspended if the cost of ‘implementing and enforcing’ the rule becomes unviable.

It is hoped that the new law will reduce plastic waste and encourage local residents to drink more tap water, thus reducing the town’s carbon footprint.

Talking to the New York Times, Hill said: “…what I'm trying to do with this bylaw is to increase the barriers to buying single-serve bottled water because in order to help people change, you need to put policies in place that steer them away from buying bottled water and toward considering the many other good alternatives.

“This, I hope, will make people stop and think before grabbing that bottle of water. Instead, I'd love to see people bringing their own tap water from home in their reusable bottles.

“It not only saves people money, but also is good for the environment and reduces trash… I hope that other towns will consider taking action too.”

However, reports have emerged which suggest that not everyone is entirely happy with the change, particularly local businesses.

Speaking to WHDH, Concord resident, Jenny Fioretti, said: “Where I work we sell bottled water and we just bought like 20 more cases so it’s just going to be kind of sitting there. We’re going to have to get rid of it.”

“Towns are close enough that people can walk two minutes and go get it from Acton or Bedford. It doesn't really help I don't think.”

According to Ban the Bottle, an organisation ‘promoting the environment by advocating bans on one-time-use plastic water bottles’, it takes 17 million barrels of oil per year to make all the plastic water bottles used in the US alone.

The ban marks the first time the sale of single-serving plastic water bottles has been outlawed by a U.S. community. However, the Australian town of Bundanoon introduced a complete ban on bottled water in 2009.

Read Concord’s ‘Sale of Drinking Water in Single Serve PET Bottles’ by-law.

Mauritania bans plastic bans

In other world news, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has banned plastic bags to help curb the impact the waste has on wildlife and the environment. According to Environment Ministry official Mohamed Yahya, more than 70 per cent of cattle and sheep that die in the capital, Nouakchott, are killed by eating plastic bags.

Official statistics show that plastic makes up a quarter of the 56,000 tonnes of waste produced annually in Nouakchott and according to Camara, nearly all of that plastic waste is not "collected and is found in the natural environment - land and sea - where they are sometimes ingested by marine species and livestock, causing their death".

Under the new law, anyone caught using, manufacturing or importing plastic bags could be fined or sentenced to a year in prison. Instead, people are urged to use new biodegradable bags.

Maurtiania joins several other African countries, including Rwanda, that have already banned the use of plastic bags.