Nicole Gardner

Chair, Committee on Rules and Ordinances

Watertown City Council

149 Main Street

Watertown, MA 02472

Feb. 5, 2026

Dear Chair Gardner

On behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber and the Watertown business community, we respectfully ask the City Council to separate the foam polystyrene and plastic material bans from the proposed “Skip-the-Stuff” ordinance.

Skip-the-Stuff and the materials bans are fundamentally different policy decisions and should be subject to separate deliberations and votes.  

Skip the Stuff seeks to reduce waste by changing how businesses distribute single-use items, while material bans prohibit businesses from sourcing certain products altogether. We view Skip the Stuff as a clear win-win: it reduces unnecessary waste while helping businesses lower costs. 

Prohibiting the use of certain materials for take-out or other uses is not as straightforward.  Some restauranters have said cost-competitive alternatives are not always readily available. Additionally, regardless of color—black, white, or clear— containers four ounces or smaller are not recyclable in practice. 

Watertown restaurants are already operating in a challenging environment, facing uncertainty related to immigration and tariffs alongside ongoing operational pressures. Additional regulations, particularly those that increase costs or limit sourcing options, risk further compounding these challenges.

Thank you for your consideration, and we appreciate the Council’s continued engagement with the business community on this issue.

Sincerely,

Greg Reibman

President & CEO 

Charles River Chamber

117 Kendrick St., Suite 300, Needham, MA 02494