The San Diego Union-Tribune recently released an article discussing the rapid changes in the industry to phase out plastic straws. The Surfrider San Diego Ocean Friendly Restaurants Campaign was launched to cut down plastic waste within the restaurant industry. As of this week, plastic straws are the next item on the chopping block to be removed from restaurants, along with the previous commitment to cutting plastic bags, takeout containers, bottles, and utensils.
Wheat and Water Pizzeria of Coronado recently hosted alongside Surfrider a celebration for the restaurants committed to limiting plastic, and moving forward with the “Plastic Straws Suck” movement. The campaign is stating to only provide straws upon request, or completely eliminate them from October 12 through December 31; this allows restaurants to transfer to paper straws if desired.
For founder Ted Cochran, he was happy to join this movement due to his experience seeing waste on beaches locally and when traveling. This has become an opportunity for restaurants to make a difference and be more environmentally forward. The National Parks Service states that over 500 million straws are used daily, and the question posed by Cochran is how necessary are straws? Aside from toddlers, most people can live without straws.
For many restaurants in the California area, being ocean-friendly is extremely important considering our immediate proximity. Restaurants that have chosen to join this movement and implicate these eco-friendly practices, please leave your restaurant name in our comments!
To view the full article, visit sandiegouniontribune.com
