Plastic Bans vs, Business Realities

Just before the season started LCTV mapped the plastic reducing bylaws, which differ from town to town. Now at the height of the season we are talking to business owners about the challenges and wins when switching to sustainable alternatives.

How has Cape Cod's various plastic bans impacted local business?

12 July 2024 — As the dust settles from the different bylaws enacted by different towns across the cape, we visited with two regional hospitality brands, Wellfleet Harbor Seafood Company, and The Knack, to learn they've adapted to the changes, what it means to work with different bylaws across different town, and what sustainability brings for both culture and bottom line..

The plastic bans have triggered changes in how each organization does business - and even though both support sustainability, the reality in the logistics and the costs of actually implementing them give pause and highlight the challenges local businesses face even as they try to do the right thing for the environment.

What are some of the plastic ban challenges for restaurants?

May Hay, owner of Wellfleet Harbor Seafood Company, with restaurants from Bourne to Provincetown, says his company tries to stay ahead of the bylaws. While they embrace sustainability, the logistics can be daunting. For example, finding vendors who can consistently stock the right quality of compostable straws was an unexpected challenge, along with an increased cost.

Michael Haidas co-owner of the Knack, with outlets in Hyannis and Orleans says the changes can be expensive too. His restaurants use some 50,000 shake cups a season - using compostable cups triples the cost of those cups. In addition, although his company prefers to use local distributors, it had to switch to a national wholesaler specializing in sustainable plastics in order to meet the restaurants' demands.

Does awareness make a difference?

Hay says the bylaws create awareness and that's good, but he points out that's just one piece of sustainability. Recycling might not even be the biggest impact a restaurant can make - for example, he points to changes in energy use as way restaurants can impact the environment and worries that an emphasis on plastic could divert attention from the broader sustainability actions.