The growing environmental pitch for ditching the straw
TORONTO — This holiday season, cocktail hour could really suck for the straw industry.
That’s because some establishments are ditching plastic straws as public backlash grows against the ubiquitous convenience — a seemingly innocuous tool that has become emblematic of the world’s plastic pollution problem.
Customers like 31-year-old Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster are leading the charge, by asking wait staff at the bars and restaurants she visits to not bring her a straw.
She says she’s trying to reduce the overall garbage she produces, and believes these little gestures are finally starting to get some traction.
“This year was the first year I feel like a server went, ‘Absolutely, we’re totally on board with that.’ A couple of times I’ve had that response. And that tells me, ‘Oh, they’ve heard about this, it’s now becoming a thing,’” says the Toronto actress, who has also emailed bars she frequents to suggest they limit straw use.
“Sometimes I feel kind of embarrassed about these little choices and I feel embarrassed about coming off as some kind of crazed eco-warrior hippie person.”
But she’s certainly far from alone in her crusade.
Two years after a video of a sea turtle impaled by a straw turned up on YouTube, the campaign to eliminate straws seems to have hit a new level of mainstream awareness.
Establishments now run the risk of being shamed on social media for serving a glass of water with a straw, and as more businesses make changes, those lagging behind risk appearing out-of-step with the times.
Bar owner Rachel Conduit admits she caught on to the movement a bit later than she’d like, but says she recently switched to biodegradable straws at her two Toronto bars, Handlebar and Farside.
“The reason it took so long is the places I think where bars and restaurants often go to buy straws just don’t stock (biodegradable versions).
“Some people love their straws. They have nice lipstick or they have sensitive teeth. I think people will always use them.”