Seminoles plan to stop using plastic straws at its casinos

The Seminole Tribe of Florida plans to stop using plastic straws at its six casinos in the state.

Seminole Gaming officials said that straws would be eliminated at its casinos beginning September 1 and replaced with earth-friendly drinking straws. By mid-August, only “to go” bags made of paper will be available at its Florida casinos.

Those casinos are: the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood; the Seminole Classic Casino, also in Hollywood; the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek; the Seminole Casino Immokalee, east of Naples; the Seminole Casino Brighton, on the northwest side of Lake Okeechobee; and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.

Tracy Bradford, senior vice president of purchasing at the company, said that Seminole Gaming restaurants already use reusable, recyclable or eco-friendly to-go containers.

“As the gaming operation of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Seminole Gaming is proud to help make a difference in conscientious sustainability practices. It’s the right thing to do,” said Bradford.

The Seminole Tribe is one of the latest companies to announce plans to ditch using plastic straws and drink stirrers. Last month, Marriott International said it would remove about 1 billion straws and 250 million stirrers from its 6,500 hotels and resorts worldwide by 2019.

Tourist destinations like Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens and companies like Starbucks and Royal Caribbean have said they also would reduce the use of plastic straws.

And some South Florida cities, notably Hallandale Beach, are also tackling the plastic straw issue. This month, all five city commissioners gave initial approval to a citywide ban on plastic straws. The ban, however, won’t become final until a second commission vote on Sept. 5. If it passes, Hallandale Beach would be the first city in Broward County to outlaw plastic straws citywide.