- A bill proposed in California would impose up to a $1,000 fine and six months jail time for waiters offering customers plastic straws
- The bill will stop sit-down restaurants from offering their customers plastic straws with their drinks
- Customers can still request and receive a straw from waiters
- Bill argues that straws are used just once and detrimental to the environment
A bill proposed in California by Majority Leader Ian Calderon would impose up to a $1,000 fine and six months jail time for waiters offering customers plastic straws because they’re bad for the environment
A bill proposed in California would impose up to a $1,000 fine and six months jail time for waiters offering customers plastic straws because they’re bad for the environment.
‘We need to create awareness around the issue of one-time use plastic straws and its detrimental effects on our landfills, waterways, and oceans,’ said Majority Leader Ian Calderon in a press release.
‘[The bill] is not ban on plastic straws. It is a small step towards curbing our reliance on these convenience products, which will hopefully contribute to a change in consumer attitudes and usage.’
The bill will prevent sit-down restaurants from offering their customers unsolicited plastic straws, or from serving drinks with them.
‘Plastic is a material that lasts forever, yet 33 percent of all plastics are used just once and thrown away,’ the release said.
The bill will prevent sit-down restaurants from offering their customers unsolicited plastic straws, or from serving drinks with them
‘Only 9 percent of all plastics are recycled, but due to their small size and lack of a resin code, no straws are ever recycled.’
‘After their one-time use, non-biodegradable plastic straws often end up in our oceans and waterways where they break down into smaller, micro-size pieces that are discarded into our environment. They are oftentimes mistaken as food by marine life.’
Under the bill, giving unsolicited plastic straws would be a misdemeanor.