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July 05, 2018

Seattle to Outlaw Plastic Straws, Utensils

Restaurants could face fines of up to $250 if they violate the ban on single-use plastic items.

By  Theresa Hegel

In a Nutshell

*Seattle’s 5,000 restaurants will have to offer guests reusable or compostable utensils, straws and cocktail picks.

*New York and San Francisco are among other U.S. cities considering similar bans.

In a move meant to reduce waste and keep marine life safer, Seattle has become the first major U.S. city to ban single-use plastic straws and utensils in bars and restaurants. Officials are instead encouraging establishments to offer environmentally friendly alternatives made from bamboo or paper, giving promo firms potential avenues to sales.

The ban is part of a decade-old ordinance that required restaurants and other food-service facilities to use only compostable or recyclable versions of one-time-use food-service items. However, straws and other utensils were initially exempt from the law because few viable alternative products were available at the time.

Thanks to the broader range of reusable and recyclable straws now on the market, Seattle has lifted the exemption. People with a medical need to use a straw are still exempt, however. Violations of the ban could result in a $250 fine, though city leaders have told news outlets that the initial phase of the law is more about raising awareness than punishment.

“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 said in a statement.

Several other cities, including New York and San Francisco, are considering plastic straw bans. The United Kingdom announced a plan in April to ban the sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The European Union is working on a ban of single-use plastic products as well; India has vowed it will ban all single-use plastic by 2022.

Seattle may be more receptive than other cities to the straw ban. Last fall, environmentalist group the Lonely Whale ran a “Strawless in Seattle” campaign involving more than 100 businesses that voluntarily removed 2.3 million single-use plastic straws from the waste stream.