Somerville take out tax?

Submitted by SparkDBowles t3_11vodzz in massachusetts

Wife picked up a shift at a friends takeout place in Davis (Saigon Tiger, stop by and say hi). She told me there’s a tax for “biodegradable takeout containers”. I tried goofing to see what this fee’s funds are used for. Anybody know?

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h2g2Ben t1_jcu9rl2 wrote

Biodegradable containers can cost 2x-5x what a plastic container does. So the restaurant may be trying to recoup that cost.

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mmmsoap t1_jcu1qxm wrote

I’m guessing it’s not a “tax”, despite what they told you, but a fee imposed by the restaurant. Somerville has had a bylaw for a while (like a decade or more) banning polystyrene/styrofoam in takeout containers and restaurants. They’ve also since banned plastic straw and stirrers, as well as plastic bags. I don’t know if they’ve fully banned plastic containers yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s coming soon. I suspect the restaurant is charging you a “tax” because the other materials for their takeout containers are more expensive.

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