Suffolk County Legislatures ban plastic straws!
If you live in Suffolk County, NY and own a restaurant, your cost of straws just skyrocketed in cost times ten. That's if you decide to continue to use straws altogether. You are no longer allowed to offer plastic straws in Suffolk County New York.
Restaurants, cafes, bars or any business that is currently providing plastic straws, single-use plastics like utensils (cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons, etc.) to their customers are now banned from doing so!
Many consumers are outraged by this out of left field anti-plastic products ban.
Newly Mothers and Fathers are upset because their toddlers will more frequently spill drinks all over themselves, floors and carpets with the absence of the plastic straw.
This new straw ban does have it's exceptions and work around regulations.
If your child loves juices boxes, there is no need to worry because the straws attached to their lunch drinks is still legal.
What is not legal is using a straw for beverages purchased from a local restaurant. This exception favors businesses outside of Long Island over Suffolk Counties eateries.
Also, Long Island residents with medical disabilities who need to use plastic straws for drinking must make a special request to the restaurant to get one.
Although with the alternative straws costing ten times as much, don't be surprised if many restaurants stop buying plastic straws entirely.
With summer around the corner, this new Suffolk bill may rain on your sunny day. From Jones Beach, Sunken Meadow, Heckscher State Park plus every other beach and park in Suffolk County can longer sell plastic straws or any single-use plastics.
As you may be reading this and thinking we don't buy the straw we buy the drink. Or you may say we don't buy the plastic utensils we only order the food.
You would be right, and this factor should be obvious. Just remember next time you go to a fast food restaurant and order a drink don't expect a plastic straw or lid. This new plastic ban is going to confuse many Long Island consumers and businesses.
Suffolk County resident's and businesses will have to use alternative types of straws, cups, utensils, and plates.
To list a few plastic straw alternatives there is biodegradable plastic straws, paper straws, bamboo straws, and other more expensive materials to drink your beverages.
Don't be surprised to see other plastic goods vanish from stores shelves such as gift cards. Many people may panic who are last-minute shoppers. If this is you, don't worry because if you keep reading, we will reveal a secret solution ;)
This may seem shocking, but it's not the first time New York government has mandated businesses to stray away from using plastic products. In recent years they have passed a bill to tax consumers for every plastic bag they wish to use.
The day's of cheap and paranoid supermarket buyers requesting to double bag their milk is over for supermarket employees who as a cashier that tax was most likely goods new to them.
The additional pennies added to the cost of plastic bags surprisingly decreased the use of plastic grocery bags. Consumers adapted by using green bags, reusable plastic bags or other types of material bags they could use multiple times.
What happened to paper bags?
Remember the days of when you were asked paper or plastic?
Those were the days!
This new legislation rolled out on April 8th, 2019 also including the banning and regulating of other materials such as styrofoam and polystyrene. So don't forget to bring your coffee mug to Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks every morning. If you don't remember I am sure they have an expensive reusable coffee mug for sale!
There is an actual and fundamental reason these bans, laws, and taxes are happening.
It's not random.
Suffolk County's legislators don't have some unknown vendetta against plastic straws from a bad childhood experience. At least not to our knowledge.
Plastic pollution is becoming a growing epidemic not just in Suffolk County but on a national and global scale!
They're many States in America are also banning plastic straws and bags. Jump in your car and travel west to see the California plastic straw ban.
Go overseas and in the United Kindom they are not just banning all plastic straws and single-use items but also cotton swabs. If you cross the Atlantic to visit London make sure to find a new way to clean your ears!
Plastic straw pollution is a huge problem. Plastic products, in general, are not suitable for our planet. There are thousands of ocean pollution articles on how marine life are on the brink of extinction because they are consuming plastic in our seven seas.
It is an outstanding action to take as an individual citizen on Long Island to stop using plastic because of how horrific it is for our planet. Every state and all the world's countries should begin the end of using plastic products.
Plastic pollution is terrible for the future health of our earth. Using alternatives may cost a little more or be inconvenient in some cases when it comes to straws and coffee mugs.
Alternatives to other well-known plastic goods like eGift Cards can make businesses more money, add convenience to the consumer and be 100% environmentally friendly. Using e-Gift Cards over plastic gift cards makes it effortless to buy last second gifts more effectively ;)
If you have been reading the news you are well aware of the danger plastic pollution poses to our environment. You may have even heard of how Starbucks has been planning to stop offering plastic straws at all of their locations worldwide.
Let's Conclude with a Question.
Do you feel we needed our Government to ban plastic?
In the comments below write yes or no. If you have more to add on the questions add in the comments below as I will respond to every last one!
Long Island News Post Updated April 9th, 2019