PLASTIC BAN THE FINAL STRAW
PLASTIC straws suck! That’s the message from some of the Coast’s trendiest bars as they ditch them for the sake of the environment.
Sister bars The Cambus Wallace Nobby Beach and The Scottish Prince Palm Beach have banned singleuse straws, opting to offer reusable metal straws.
But people wanting a straw for their drink have to pay $2.50 for the metal version to either keep or be refunded after use.
“We made the switch to biodegradable straws a while ago but we’ve decided that even that isn’t a big enough change in the right direction, so we’ve ditched disposable straws entirely,” co-owner Dave Ferry said.
“We know some guests are still going to want straws and they can pick up a reusable metal straw.
“We estimate (the move) is going to keep around 90,000 straws out of our landfills and waterways each year.
“We had a customer on Thursday night question why we didn’t have disposable straws and before I had a chance to respond, her friend asserted the importance of the issue and discussed the video of the turtle getting the straw removed from its nose.”
In April, the UK announced it would be banning sales of all single-use plastics, including cotton swabs, drink stirrers and plastic straws, from as soon as next year. British Prime Minister Theresa May urged other countries, including Australia, to do the same.
In Australia, supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths will have phased out singleuse plastic bags by the end of this month.
Aloha Bar and Dining Broadbeach is another bar dedicated to reducing the estimated 500 million plastic straws that are added to landfill each year by ditching the plastic in favour of biodegradable and metal straws.
“When these biodegradable straws came on the market we jumped straight on it,” owner Tim Glasson said. “They have an additive that means they start to break down in 18 months and eventually disappear into the environment just like a leaf.
“The bartenders also use metal straws when checking their cocktails, which saves a couple of hundred straws a night. The difference in price is negligible. There’s really no reason every venue shouldn’t switch.”
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