Strawless is quickly becoming the way to sip in style! Straws are one of the most ubiquitous single-use plastics - given out with every drink, at every restaurant, without a thought to how long they will be used or where they will eventually end up. Unfortunately, many of them end up in our waterways or littering our landscape, ultimately harming wildlife. But, across the country, individuals, restaurants, and whole communities are banding together to skip the straw.
Leaders at Cleveland restaurants, community organizations, and individuals citizens have recognized the unnecessary and potentially destructive nature of disposable straws, and have started taking steps to change the expectations around straw use too! Many people now carry reusable stainless steel or glass straws for their iced coffee or refuse straws at sit-down meals. Restaurants have implemented policies to only provide straws upon request, have switched to paper or compostable straws, or have banned them entirely. Our office has been giving away reusable stainless steel straws during first-year orientation and throughout the academic year for the past two years.
We are pleased to share that Bon Appetit Management Company, CWRU’s on-site food management company, boldly decided at the national level in May to ban plastic straws across all of their accounts. For a company that purchased almost 17 million plastic straws in fiscal 2017, Bon Appetit’s forward-thinking decision will have a huge impact.
Our local Bon Appetit outlets have removed plastic straws from all locations following the corporate ban. They are working to source paper straw alternatives for those with medical needs or a strong preference for straws. Learn more about Bon Appetit’s decision, and peruse the long list of their other sustainability initiatives on their website.