Cebu_4_2
2nd July 2018, 05:26 PM
Strawless in Seattle: City becomes the first in the U.S. to ban restaurants from giving out plastic straws and utensils in a bid to help keep oceans clean
Staring July 1, Seattle has banned food providers from automatically giving customers single-use straws and utensils
Restaurants can only give out compostable straws and utensils if asked for them
The ban is part of the city's efforts to prevent plastics from contaminating compost and from pollution the oceans
Seattle has slowly banned non-compostable food service items since 2009
By MAXINE SHEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Maxine+Shen+For+Dailymail.com)
Seattle has officially banned restaurants from giving customers plastic straws with their drinks for environmental reasons, becoming the first major US city to do so.
The Washington city's ban — which also extends to the doling out of plastic utensils and cocktail picks — went into effect Sunday.
The ban bars restaurants from giving out the single-use plastic items unless specifically requested by a patron, in which case only compostable straws and utensils can be offered up, according to an official notice from Seattle Public Utilities.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/17/4DD8ADAA00000578-0-image-a-30_1530547636310.jpg
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Seattle is now the first major US city to officially ban restaurants and other food providers from giving customers non-compostable plastic straws and utensils
In addition to restaurants, the plastic straw and utensils ban also applies to delis, coffee shops, food trucks, cafeterias and grocery stores, the Seattle Times (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/q-heres-what-you-need-to-know/) reports.
Food service locations that fail to comply with the official ordnance can be fined $250. It's said that there are 5,000 food service providers in Seattle.
'Plastic pollution is surpassing crisis levels in the world’s oceans, and I’m proud Seattle is leading the way and setting an example for the nation by enacting a plastic straw ban,' Seattle Public Utilities general manager Mami Hara told KOMO News (http://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-to-ban-plastic-straws-utensils-at-all-eateries-after-july-1).
The single-use plastics ban is said to be part of the city's efforts to limit waste and prevent petroleum-based plastics from getting mixed in with compost or polluting marine waters.
Plastic does not biodegrade in the ocean. Instead, it eventually breaks down into small pieces In the ocean, making it difficult to recover. The plastics are also eaten by marine animals.
In June, a necropsy (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/whale-dead-plastic-bags-thailand-animals/) on a pilot whale, that died after being found struggling to breathe and swim in Thailand, revealed that it had swallowed more than 17 pounds of shopping bags and other plastic debris, preventing it from eating nutritional food. And, in 2015, a video (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150817-sea-turtles-olive-ridley-marine-debris-ocean-animals-science/) of a sea turtle found with a plastic straw embedded in its nose went viral.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/17/4DD8ACC900000578-0-image-a-39_1530547726912.jpg
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http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/17/4DD8AD7300000578-0-image-a-40_1530547727060.jpg
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Seattle food providers are now banned from automatically giving customers single-use straws and utensils. When asked, only compostable versions of the products (shown) can be given out
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/20/4DD90E7900000578-5910227-Seattle_s_single_use_plastics_ban_is_said_to_be_pa rt_of_the_city-a-1_1530558488550.jpg
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Seattle's single-use plastics ban is said to be part of the city's efforts to limit waste and prevent petroleum-based plastics from polluting the oceans. (Plastic washed up on shore shown)
Seattle has been slowly banning restaurants from giving out disposable food containers and other single-use food service items since 2009.
Polystyrene foam containers — which are not usually recyclable — were banned in 2009. The city then required that compostable or recyclable food service items, including plastic straws and utensils, be used beginning in 2010.
The city made an exception for the continued use of plastic utensils and straws until this year, however, because there weren't realistic alternatives for businesses when the 2010 ban was enacted.
Three years ago, compostable straws and utensils were about '30 to 40 per cent more expensive' than the traditional single-use version of the items, Duke’s Seafood and Chowder's founder and CEO Duke Moscrip told KIRO (https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/seattle-becomes-first-major-city-in-us-to-enact-plastic-straw-utensil-ban/780917256).
Moscrip said that he converted his restaurant over to compostable products in 2015 anyway, because it was 'the right thing to do.' These days, environmentally friendly straws and utensils are only about 10 per cent more expensive than the alternative.
Americans are said to use 500 million straws per day, according to National Park Service estimates.
Environmental groups say that of the two options, compostable paper straws are preferred to compostable plastic straws, because the paper straws can biodegrade in the ocean, while the plastic ones won't.
Flexible plastic straws for customers who require them for medical reasons are exempt from the ban.
New York City and Los Angeles are said to be considering a similar ban on non-compostable straws and utensils.
Staring July 1, Seattle has banned food providers from automatically giving customers single-use straws and utensils
Restaurants can only give out compostable straws and utensils if asked for them
The ban is part of the city's efforts to prevent plastics from contaminating compost and from pollution the oceans
Seattle has slowly banned non-compostable food service items since 2009
By MAXINE SHEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Maxine+Shen+For+Dailymail.com)
Seattle has officially banned restaurants from giving customers plastic straws with their drinks for environmental reasons, becoming the first major US city to do so.
The Washington city's ban — which also extends to the doling out of plastic utensils and cocktail picks — went into effect Sunday.
The ban bars restaurants from giving out the single-use plastic items unless specifically requested by a patron, in which case only compostable straws and utensils can be offered up, according to an official notice from Seattle Public Utilities.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/17/4DD8ADAA00000578-0-image-a-30_1530547636310.jpg
+4
Seattle is now the first major US city to officially ban restaurants and other food providers from giving customers non-compostable plastic straws and utensils
In addition to restaurants, the plastic straw and utensils ban also applies to delis, coffee shops, food trucks, cafeterias and grocery stores, the Seattle Times (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/q-heres-what-you-need-to-know/) reports.
Food service locations that fail to comply with the official ordnance can be fined $250. It's said that there are 5,000 food service providers in Seattle.
'Plastic pollution is surpassing crisis levels in the world’s oceans, and I’m proud Seattle is leading the way and setting an example for the nation by enacting a plastic straw ban,' Seattle Public Utilities general manager Mami Hara told KOMO News (http://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-to-ban-plastic-straws-utensils-at-all-eateries-after-july-1).
The single-use plastics ban is said to be part of the city's efforts to limit waste and prevent petroleum-based plastics from getting mixed in with compost or polluting marine waters.
Plastic does not biodegrade in the ocean. Instead, it eventually breaks down into small pieces In the ocean, making it difficult to recover. The plastics are also eaten by marine animals.
In June, a necropsy (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/whale-dead-plastic-bags-thailand-animals/) on a pilot whale, that died after being found struggling to breathe and swim in Thailand, revealed that it had swallowed more than 17 pounds of shopping bags and other plastic debris, preventing it from eating nutritional food. And, in 2015, a video (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150817-sea-turtles-olive-ridley-marine-debris-ocean-animals-science/) of a sea turtle found with a plastic straw embedded in its nose went viral.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/17/4DD8ACC900000578-0-image-a-39_1530547726912.jpg
+4
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/17/4DD8AD7300000578-0-image-a-40_1530547727060.jpg
+4
Seattle food providers are now banned from automatically giving customers single-use straws and utensils. When asked, only compostable versions of the products (shown) can be given out
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/02/20/4DD90E7900000578-5910227-Seattle_s_single_use_plastics_ban_is_said_to_be_pa rt_of_the_city-a-1_1530558488550.jpg
+4
Seattle's single-use plastics ban is said to be part of the city's efforts to limit waste and prevent petroleum-based plastics from polluting the oceans. (Plastic washed up on shore shown)
Seattle has been slowly banning restaurants from giving out disposable food containers and other single-use food service items since 2009.
Polystyrene foam containers — which are not usually recyclable — were banned in 2009. The city then required that compostable or recyclable food service items, including plastic straws and utensils, be used beginning in 2010.
The city made an exception for the continued use of plastic utensils and straws until this year, however, because there weren't realistic alternatives for businesses when the 2010 ban was enacted.
Three years ago, compostable straws and utensils were about '30 to 40 per cent more expensive' than the traditional single-use version of the items, Duke’s Seafood and Chowder's founder and CEO Duke Moscrip told KIRO (https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/seattle-becomes-first-major-city-in-us-to-enact-plastic-straw-utensil-ban/780917256).
Moscrip said that he converted his restaurant over to compostable products in 2015 anyway, because it was 'the right thing to do.' These days, environmentally friendly straws and utensils are only about 10 per cent more expensive than the alternative.
Americans are said to use 500 million straws per day, according to National Park Service estimates.
Environmental groups say that of the two options, compostable paper straws are preferred to compostable plastic straws, because the paper straws can biodegrade in the ocean, while the plastic ones won't.
Flexible plastic straws for customers who require them for medical reasons are exempt from the ban.
New York City and Los Angeles are said to be considering a similar ban on non-compostable straws and utensils.