We are all aware of the environmental impact of plastic pollution, whether it is filling massive landfills, contaminating the oceans, or poisoning marine life.
One U.S. city has taken drastic measures to reduce the use of plastic. Starting next month, Seattle residents will be sipping their drinks with biodegradable straws instead of plastic ones.
Seattle has imposed a ban on plastic straws and plastic utensils, urging citizens to opt for other alternatives such as paper-based straws and degradable forks and spoons.
Seattle's Plastic Ban Comes Into Effect On July 1
The law, which comes into effect on July 1, has been introduced in a bid to reduce the amount of plastic that enters Seattle's waste stream and curb plastic pollution.
The ban is only applicable to restaurants and the items can still be purchased from grocery stores. Failure to abide the law may result in a $250 fine, as pointed out by a letter from Seattle Public Utilities.
Seattle started its efforts to reduce plastic pollution in 2008 and has since allowed exemptions every year for a few items, including plastic straws and utensils, as compostable alternative were either not available or not viable. However, that is no longer a problem so city officials decided not to renew the exemptions and impose the ban.
"Plastic pollution is surpassing crisis levels in the world's oceans, and I'm proud Seattle is leading the way and setting an example for the nation by enacting a plastic straw ban," Mami Hara, general manager of SPU told KOMO-TV.
Hara added that the goal for next year is to help establishments make the transition from non-compostable plastic to compostable food service ware.
Other U.S. Cities To Follow Seattle's Lead
While Seattle is the first major U.S. city to enact the ban, other cities such as New York and Los Angeles are planning to follow its footsteps.
"So, what we're starting to see, based on the work Seattle has done, is it's really empowering communities all over the world," Dune Ives, the executive director of environmental non-profit Lonely Whale, told KIRO-TV. "To say you know we actually don't need plastic straws, and it's not difficult to remove it."
Last month, the New York City Council proposed a bill to ban the use of plastic straws in the city, while the Los Angeles City Council is already moving forward with a proposal to regulate the use of single-use plastic products.
