TOPSHAM

A local group working to get Styrofoam ban and single-use bag fee ordinances before voters in November has had the two petitions certified by the town clerk.

Bring Your Own Bag Midcoast submitted the final batch of signatures on Aug. 19 and Topsham Town Clerk Linda Dumont confirmed Tuesday the petitions have been certified.

Ed Caswell of Topsham, a member of BYOB Midcoast who has helped coordinate the petition drive, said Wednesday that the group submitted 662 signatures for the bag fee ordinance and 672 for the Styrofoam ban. Approximately 90 percent of the total signatures were certified, he said.

According to Dumont, the petitions required at least 506 valid signatures of Topsham voters. Now that the petitions have been certified, the board of selectmen must sign the warrant placing the ordinances before voters.

BYOB Midcoast members have pushed for the regulations in Topsham and Brunswick in order to keep harmful plastic and polystyrene foam out of the environment. The group of Brunswick and Topsham residents first brought a proposed bag fee ordinance and a Styrofoam ban ordinance to the Topsham Board of Selectmen early in the year, which was put on hold until after the May town meeting and followed by workshops between selectmen and BYOB.

Over the course of two meetings in July, the board of selectmen ultimately voted not to move forward with either proposed ordinance, so the group announced it would begin a petition drive. The petition was due by Sept. 26.

The two proposed ordinances are similar to the successful ones passed in Portland and South Portland. The bag ordinance would allow stores with greater than 2 percent food sales to provide bags to customers, but requires they charge at least 5 cents for a single-use carryout bag — plastic or paper. The polystyrene foam ban ordinance would prohibit retail vendors and food packers from serving or selling food and beverages in those containers.

Caswell said Wednesday the group had 21 people out collecting signatures over the course of about six weeks.

“I was really pretty surprised, and pleased, that we had so many people willing to give us their time and put in the effort to go house to house and collect signatures,” he said. Most were from Topsham, working to make sure the ordinances appear on the November ballot where the greatest number of Topsham residents can vote on them.

The next challenge is public outreach, making sure that people are aware the ordinances will be on the ballot and are knowledgeable about why BYOB has proposed the new regulations. The effort may include exposure in local papers and open forums at the library to discuss the issue, Caswell said. Information will also be posted on the group’s website.

“We’re really excited to have accomplished our goal,” he said.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

What they do

• THE BAG ORDINANCE would allow stores with greater than 2 percent food sales to provide bags to customers, but requires they charge at least 5 cents for a single-use carryout bag — plastic or paper. The polystyrene foam ban ordinance would prohibit retail vendors and food packers from serving or selling food and beverages in those containers.

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