The restaurant STARS’N’BARS has launched a campaign to reduce the use and disposal of plastic drinking straws by providing them only on request.
According to STARS’N’BARS owners Kate Powers and Didier Rubiolo the campaign is an easy way for individuals to learn about the dangers of plastic waste and to make a choice to help save the planet.
The restaurant has trained waiters to explain the environmental impact of plastic waste and has supported the campaign with a series of postings on Facebook and posters inside and out at the restaurant…as well as a message on its digital menu.
“We’ve discovered, since launching the campaign, that most customers are not asking for straws and their use has diminished considerably.” Kate and Didier said.
Plastics can’t biodegrade, they last indefinitely – breaking down into smaller pieces, littering our landscapes and oceans, feeding into the food chain and potentially ending up on our dinner plates. A recent study suggests that seaborne plastic trash will outweigh the fish in the sea by 2050.
Although straws amount to a tiny fraction of ocean plastic, their size makes them one of the most insidious polluters because they entangle marine animals and are consumed by fish. Scientists estimate that every year at least 1 million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die when they entangle themselves in or ingest plastic pollution.
Owners hope their customers will refuse plastic straws at other establishments and that other restaurants adopt the same policy of providing drinking straws on demand only.
