Campaign launched as plastic pollution is last straw for MSP
LOCHABER MSP Kate Forbes has launched a campaign to ban plastic straws.
The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, whose constituency covers the east and west coasts of Scotland, is highlighting the damage caused by single-use disposable plastic items to the onshore and marine environment in Scotland.
Items such as plastic straws can take up to 500 years to decompose, despite only being used for less than half an hour.
Ms Forbes, who sits on the Scottish Parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Reform Committee, wants consumers and businesses to get behind the project.
The official campaign launch was held at the Royal Hotel in Cromarty on Monday, one of the first businesses in her constituency to ditch plastic straws in favour of paper biodegradable ones. Ms Forbes said plastic is choking seas, damaging the environment and risking the lives of seabirds and sea creatures: ‘One of the most common plastic items on the beach are plastic straws. We could be throwing out just under £3 billion straws every year in Scotland, based on US estimates of people using an average of 1.6 straws per day every year,’ she said.
‘Pub chain Wetherspoons has indicated it uses 70 million straws a year in the UK, so the figures are huge.
‘Most people don’t ask for a straw and don’t want one, but pubs and restaurants automatically pop it in their glass. That plastic straw could end up in our seas, causing damage to wildlife.’
Ms Forbes said Jenny Henderson, owner of the Royal Hotel in Cromarty, had decided to switch to paper straws over Christmas after being inspired by Ullapool Primary School pupils who have made their village the first straw-free village in Scotland.
Ms Forbes continued: ‘Before the Christmas recess, I asked the Scottish Government to look at the issue of plastic straws and the Cabinet Secretary said the Scottish Government was considering a number of options.
‘I am asking pubs and restaurants to stop handing out straws automatically and to only provide biodegradable alternatives.
‘Chains like Wetherspoons and individual businesses like the Royal Hotel have already done that and I hope others will follow their lead.
‘If you agree governments should take more action on plastic straws and restaurants and pubs should stop stocking plastic straws, sign up to my campaign petition at finalstraw.scot.’
The MSP’s call is being supported by the Marine Conservation Society.
Scotland conservation officer Catherine Gemmell commented: ‘It is fantastic to see MSP Kate Forbes call for a ban on plastic straws as they are one of the many single-use plastic items that we find rising in numbers on our beaches, in our seas and impacting our wildlife.
‘Our seas should not have to pay the price for a throw-away culture and any move to reduce the amount of single use plastic items being thrown away is good news for our seas and wildlife.
‘It was incredible to see school pupils taking the lead on this issue before Christmas with Sunnyside and Ullapool primary helping Ullapool go plastic straw free. If Ullapool can go plastic straw free why can’t Scotland?’