California has become the first US state
to enforce a ban on restaurants handing out plastic straws to diners unless
specifically asked for them, in a move lawmakers hope will make customers
“pause and think again” about their disposable plastic consumption. California
Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on Thursday which prevents restaurants from
giving plastic straws to customers, but warned that the law, which comes into
effect on 1 January, would be limited in its scope. The law only applies to the state’s dine-in
restaurants, excluding cafes, fast-food outlets and businesses
which will be allowed to provide takeaway options.
Brown said the law is still a good step towards challenging the widespread use of disposable plastic in
the on-trade. “Plastic has helped
advance innovation in our society, but our infatuation with single-use
convenience has led to disastrous worldwide consequences, Brown said, according to
the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It is a very small step to make a customer who wants a plastic straw
ask for it, and it might make them pause and think again about an alternative. “But one thing is clear, we must find ways to
reduce and eventually eliminate single-use plastic products. “Plastics, in all forms — straws, bottles,
packaging, bags, etc. — are choking our planet.”
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| A Sea of Plastic Waste |
The bill comes as many hospitality firms
and restaurant groups in the US have already begun to phase out the use of
plastic straws on their premises. Hilton
Hotel group has said it plans to remove plastic straws from all managed hotels
around the world by the end of 2018, as well as axing plastic water bottles
from its conference rooms. Then in
July, Marriott International announced plans to ban plastic straws from its
hotels worldwide, months after the chain committed to cutting down waste in
its UK businesses. The chain said in May that
guests get through around 5 million plastic straws each year, while people
attending business meetings and conferences at Hilton hotels use up to 20
million water bottles annually. Bacardi
was among the first to call time on plastic straws and stirrers, banningtheir
use across its events in 2016 in an effort to reduce waste as part of
its ‘Good Spirited’ campaign, and Pernod Ricard followed suit in January
of 2018.
Read More at https://www.businessinsider.com/california-straw-ban-restaurants-what-you-need-to-know-2018-9
