Hotels Say No More Plastic Straws
Did you know that in just one day, Americans use and dispose of 500 MILLION plastic straws? That’s enough straws to circle around the Earth 2.5 times! But some restaurants and hotels are finally saying no more. You can read more about the impact of straws and brands that are banning them, below.
But First, Why Are Straws So Bad?
- Most straws are made out of “type 5” plastic, which cannot be recycled by most curbside recycling services
- Plastics cannot biodegrade, meaning they will never naturally break down and become part of new organic material
- Instead, straws break into tiny pieces that often end up in our oceans and are consumed by marine wildlife
- In fact, straws are the 11th most-found ocean trash in cleanups
Knowing all of this, restaurants like Starbucks are vowing to eliminate their single-use plastic straws. And hotels are starting to jump on the trend.
Which Hotels?
Over the last year, hotels have realized that they are some of the biggest plastic straw users in the world. The Hilton Waikoloa Village recorded using more than 800,000 straws in the year 2017 alone (thankfully they’re now banning straws). Big brands like Marriott International, Four Seasons, AccorHotels and most recently, Hyatt have also pledged to eliminate plastic straws. But, this doesn’t mean straws are completely gone. Instead, brands are looking towards more environmentally-friendly alternatives.
Like What?
Paper straws, produced by Aardvark have been popular among many establishments. They come in a variety of designs and take only 45-60 days to completely decompose. Paradise Cove Beach Café in Malibu uses uncooked noodles (and even offers a gluten-free option). The Mandrake Hotel in London offers straws made from rye stems, made by German company Bio-Strohhalme.
Are you going to say no to plastic straws? Make it official and take The Last Plastic Straw pledge.
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