Environment Committee Gets Close to New Single-Use Plastics Plan

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.- Back to the drawing board for the Rehoboth Beach Environment Committee. 

The committee is not erasing everything from the board, but restructuring how it looks for some of their plans. The committee is still sticking with most of its original plan to try and get businesses to move away from those plastic straws, and trying to use something more environmentally friendly. The committee is now trying to button down the final details on their proposal and their plan that would be voluntary.

The Rehoboth Beach Chamber of Commerce had  survey done by its businesses, finding that most of them wouldn’t be ready to make any mandatory changes for a while. 

Steuart Martens, with the Rehoboth Beach Environment Committee said, “Based on looking at the survey, the date a lot of the people who responded to the survey said they would at minimal to doing something if we did it in January of 2022, not before because they needed to get rid of inventory.”

The environment committee is considering a sign for businesses who are already making efforts to switch to eco-friendly options. The details of what would be on it are not finalized, so the committee will work over the next few weeks to design one to show commissioners. The committee is finally coming around to the idea of making it voluntary and one committee member says her sister owns a business in a resort town as well, and there are bigger issues.

Heather Metz, with the Rehoboth Beach Environment Committee said, “It’s a matter of dealing with daily restrictions, the daily changes, you know she, it really has become a mental health she is really struggling.” 

Other places in Rehoboth Beach have also expressed their concerns to Commissioner Richard Byrne, he says they’re close to a final proposal.

“The best way to go at these things is voluntary but education and support and let them learn as they’re trying things let it fit into their economy and their budget,” Byrne said. 

While the Dark Skies proposal the committee pitched is also gaining some steam. The city says it will look into a lighting specialist who would have more insight on the type of lights that would comply with the poles downtown, shining more light downward, as opposed to into the sky. The city is also working on putting together a task force for the streetscape project on Wilmington and Baltimore Avenue. The environment committee hopes to have at least one or two people on that task force to address environmental and green infrastructure aspects.