THE FINAL STRAW AT VOLLMER
LaSalle goes from plastic to paper
Plastic straws and stir sticks are a thing of the past at the Vollmer Centre in LaSalle.
Grab a beverage from the concession stand and you’ll notice the plastic straws have been replaced with biodegradable paper fabric ones and the stir sticks are now made of wood. The move to replace the plastics at the Vollmer Centre was pushed by LaSalle Coun. Crystal Meloche, who suggested the town follow the plastic reduction direction followed by other municipalities.
“We are a waterfront community and what better way to do our part then to eliminate the plastics that are ending up in the landfills as well as our lakes and rivers?” Meloche said. “So we decided to start with straws.”
Julie Columbus, director of culture and recreation at the Vollmer Centre, said it was a pleasant surprise to discover the biodegradable straws were the same price as the plastic ones.
“The paper straws and the wood stir sticks are already on site and in use,” said Columbus. “We went out and collected some information on what was available on the market and from there we realized the pricing was the same so we changed our order and implemented them right away.” Columbus described as “fantastic” the response from the public attending the Vollmer Centre. “Everyone has been very supportive about reducing the (ecological) footprints and just viewing it as a way to be a more environmentally conscious as a community and a municipality,” she said.
Meloche tried the paper straws and, although some people worried they would be flimsy and dissolve quickly, she said that’s not the case. “They last a few hours in a drink,” she said. “Obviously, texture-wise is a little bit different but you get used to it.”
Plastic straws will still be available from the concession staff for those people with disabilities who need a plastic or bendable straw. Meloche said the Vollmer Centre is just a start. The plan over time is to reduce plastic from all of the town’s facilities. Coffee franchise Starbucks recently announced its outlets will get rid of plastic straws and instead use those made of biodegradable paper fabric. A&W and other food chains have also followed suit. Grocery stores now charge consumers for plastic bags in hopes people will start bringing their own fabric bags.
“I did some research on it and it was something like 50 million straws a day go into Canada’s landfills,” she said. “It’s a ridiculous number. We are not huge in LaSalle, but if every municipality follows the lead it’s going to make a big difference.”