CONCORD, Mass. (AP) — A new ban on the sales of single-serving plastic water bottles has taken effect in Concord. 
 
 The ban began Tuesday and follows an April vote by Town Meeting, which made historic Concord one of the first communities in the nation to make the bottles illegal. 
 
 Stores will be fined up to $50 for violating the ban. An exemption is allowed during emergencies. 
 
 The new law was adopted after a three-year campaign by local activists. They pushed a return to tap water, saying banning the bottles will cut down on plastic waste and reduce the use of the fossil fuels used to make the bottles. 
 
 Businesses opposed the ban, saying it restricts of freedom of choice and will simply drive bottled water sales out of town. 

 Image caption Not everyone in Concord agrees with the ban on the sale of small bottles of water 
 
 The US town of Concord in Massachusetts has banned the sale of bottled water in units smaller than one litre. 
 
 The law came into effect on January 1, after a three-year campaign to reduce waste and encourage tap water use. 
 
 First offenders will get a warning. Anyone caught selling the banned bottles a second time will be fined $25 (£15), with $50 for further offences. 
 
 The Australian town of Bundanoon introduced a complete ban on bottled water in 2009. 
 
 More than 90 universities in the US and others around the world have already restricted the sale of plastic bottles, as have some local government authorities., 
 
 Concord has not introduced any restrictions on the sale of small bottles of other drinks, and the bylaw has an exemption in case of emergencies. 
 
 Campaigners say Americans consume 50 billion small bottles of water each year. 
 
 The bottled water industry says the small bottles are essential to modern life and encourage people to live healthier lifestyles. 
 
 But Jean Hill who led the campaign for the ban in Concord, told the New York Times: "What I'm trying to do with this bylaw is to increase the barriers to buying single-serve bottled water." 
 
 "In order to help people change, you need to put policies in place that steer them away from buying bottled water and toward considering the many other good alternatives." 
 
 Some of the town's residents argue the ban is pointless, as they can go down the road and buy small bottles from shops in neighbouring towns. 
 
 Ms Hill says she was inspired to begin her campaign by her grandson, who told her about a vast floating island of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean. 

 Concord, Massachusetts has become one of the first communities in the U.S. to ban the sale of single-serving plastic water bottles. 
 
 According to the Associated Press, the plastic bottle ban resulted from a three-year campaign by local activists. The activists pushed to reduce waste and fossil fuel use. 
 
 Octogenarian Jean Hill lead the charge, telling The New York Times in a 2010 interview, "The bottled water companies are draining our aquifers and selling it back to us." She declared, “I’m going to work until I drop on this." 
 
 The campaign Ban the Bottle claims that "It takes 17 million barrels of oil per year to make all the plastic water bottles used in the U.S. alone. That's enough oil to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year." Their website also states: "In 2007, Americans consumed over 50 billion single serve bottles of water. With a recycling rate of only 23%, over 38 billion bottles end up in landfills." 
 
 According to the EPA, in 2010, the U.S. generated 31 million tons of plastic waste. 
 
 The Town of Concord's website describes the bylaw, stating "It shall be unlawful to sell non-sparkling, unflavored drinking water in single-serving polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less in the Town of Concord on or after January 1, 2013." There is an exemption for an "emergency adversely affecting the availability and/or quality of drinking water to Concord residents." 
 
 The first offense results in a warning, the second in a $25 fine, and the third (and each following offense) in a $50 fine. Concord's Health Division staff are in charge of enforcing the ban. 
 
 Not everyone is happy with the ban. WHDH reports that some businesses are also working around it by selling larger bottles, since the rule only focuses on smaller ones. Local Jenny Fioretti voiced one concern to the news group: “Towns are close enough that people can walk two minutes and go get it from Acton or Bedford. It doesn't really help I don't think." 
 
 In a previous interview with Concord Conserves, Hill acknowledged the challenges, but added, "what I'm trying to do with this Bylaw is to increase the barriers to buying single-serve bottled water because in order to help people change, you need to put policies in place that steer them away from buying bottled water and toward considering the many other good alternatives... I hope that other towns will consider taking action too." 
 
 Clarification: Language has been amended in this article to correct an inconsistency with regard to how businesses are responding to the ban.
– If you're a regular buyer of small water bottles, Concord, Mass., isn't the place for you. At least not since Jan. 1, when the town officially banned sales of water bottles a liter or less in size, the Huffington Post reports. Breaking the law results first in a warning, then in a $25 fine, and finally a $50 fine for any future attempts, except in emergencies, the BBC notes. Other drinks can still be sold in small bottles. Some locals ridicule the idea, saying they can just buy their bottles in the next town over. But locals who pushed for the idea for three years say the ban will reduce waste and help cut fossil fuel use in bottle production, the AP reports.