Some Restaurants Say This Is The Last Straw

“Can I have a straw, please?” asked a guest sitting on the patio of Brian Boru Restaurant and Pub. The server stopped to explain why she hadn’t provided the straw in the first place.

“We have just started supporting the Last Straw Movement,” she said. “It’s an effort to reduce plastic waste that contaminates the oceans and threatens marine life, so we are trying to use fewer single-use plastics. We will, of course, provide you with a straw, but now we do it upon request instead of automatically.”

“You know what — keep the straw,” the guest decided.

Reactions like this one have become common for guests visiting Brian Boru in Severna Park since the restaurant implemented a straw-upon-request policy in June. More recently, the restaurant replaced its old plastic straws with compostable paper ones. Plastic straws are a huge source of plastic waste and are one of the top 10 plastic items most commonly found on beaches, according to The New York Times. Many restaurants in Severna Park have recently begun supporting the global initiative to reduce plastic waste created by straw use, which many call the Last Straw Movement or Last Plastic Straw Movement.

Other restaurants in the area implementing new straw policies include Adam’s Taphouse and Grille, Romilo’s, Vida Taco Bar and Mother’s Peninsula Grille. Vida Taco Bar has also moved to compostable paper straws, and Mother’s will soon introduce them in its three restaurants.

Some awareness of the movement was spread by a video of a sea turtle with a straw wedged so far up its nose that two people and a pair of pliers were necessary to remove it. Plastic straws that are used to sip a drink for a matter of minutes will be around for hundreds of years, and many wind up in our oceans. Here they absorb persistent bioaccumulative and toxic substances (PBTs), such as DfDT and PCBs, which are toxic to marine animals and humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

As the plastic disintegrates into tiny pieces, microplastics are ingested by marine life, which consequently suffer intestinal damage and other chronic effects, such as endocrine disruption. Some plastics also release the toxin bisphenol A (BPA) upon breaking down. This accumulation of toxins can contaminate entire food webs.

“If we mess up life for the sea creatures, it’s going to mess up how we’re eating, too,” said Ashley McChesney, a server from Brian Boru. “It’s going to affect the ocean and things that live in the ocean that we eat. It’s going to come back around, so it can help us in the long run [to reduce straw use].”

Brian Boru and the other three establishments in the Irish Restaurant Company had already used biodegradable plastic straws for years, but these straws normally end up in landfills, where they are not able to decompose. The phasing out of plastic straw use has finally become more feasible because of raised environmental awareness and valuable alternatives to plastic straws. Some companies have created compostable paper straws, pasta straws, seaweed straws and reusable plastic, metal and bamboo straws.

Vic Brocato, a manager at Mother’s, does not anticipate much backlash from customers upon replacing their plastic straws with compostable paper straws. “Everybody recognizes that it’s the right thing to do,” Brocato said. “From a service standpoint, there really is no difference between a plastic and a paper straw … if people have a problem with us switching from plastic straws to paper straws, then I think they are failing to see the bigger picture.”

According Heather Saffield, the general manager of Brian Boru, most guests react positively when they learn of the restaurant’s initiative. Some, however, have suggested that the restaurant is failing to provide a basic service.

“We’ve had it where people have said no straw, but we’ve also had it where you give someone a drink without explaining it to them and they’re like, ‘What, no straw? Are you out of money or something?’” Saffield explained.

Some servers, like McChesney, take a proactive approach to avoid confusion from customers — she describes the new policy as soon as she greets a table. This way, everyone is aware of the restaurant’s participation in the movement before they disapprove of their strawless drinks.

Saffield believes this is the best way to approach the transition. “We have to start teaching people why we’re not doing it [handing out straws],” she said.

Brian Boru has placed informational blurbs on its tables to explain the new straw policy and Mother’s is working with Annapolis Green, an organization that supports healthy environmental practices, to do the same.

Some customers are accustomed to using straws, so they prefer to continue using them even when they learn about the movement. Saffield recently went out to breakfast with her father, who normally uses straws, but both ordered their drinks without them. “It was hard for him to get used to drinking without a straw and he was spilling it,” she said.

Another consideration for businesses is the cost of more environmentally friendly options. Brocato and Anthony Clarke, a co-owner of the Irish Restaurant Company, believe that the higher cost deters many businesses from choosing the option that least damages the environment. Brian Boru spent $1,500 dollars more per year, for example, on biodegradable plastic straws than regular plastic straws, and compostable paper straws cost even more. Clarke, however, said the investment is well worth the cause. He also believes that playing a role in the movement will reduce the use of straws, thereby reducing the cost of buying straws for his restaurants.

Robert Goodman, another manager at Brian Boru, has faith that the cost will not be an issue. “I think the more restaurants that do it, the more the economy scales will bring the prices down, and things like paper straws will be more affordable,” he said. “And other companies that make them [paper straws] will find ways to be creative and make them cheaper for everyone.”

The European Union (EU) recently proposed a ban on many single-use plastic goods, including straws, cotton swabs, and plastic cutlery. The union will need approval from all 28 states and hopes to initiate the policy in 2019.

Many EU countries already enforce measures to reduce plastic use. McDonald’s fast food restaurants in the UK and Ireland recently decided to eliminate plastic straw use and transition to paper alternatives, a policy that they will initiate in September. Some McDonald’s restaurants in U.S. cities are currently testing out paper straw options, as the company hopes to extend the change worldwide.

The global movement to reduce the use of single-use plastic has made its way to Severna Park, but the area has a long way to go. Many restaurants in the Severna Park area have been unaware of the initiative. Others, such as Gary’s Grill, have received too much negative feedback to execute new policies. Owner Eddie Conway lamented that, though he aspires to completely eliminate straw use from his restaurant, customers’ reactions have threatened the initiative’s feasibility. He hopes to gradually implement policies as customers become more comfortable with change.

Those supporting the movement are also still combating obstacles. Even the restaurants that have switched to paper straws will continue to provide small plastic cocktail straws, for example, which many guests find essential to certain drinks.

As innovators continue to develop options that promote environmental sustainability, consumers will have to put in an effort as well. Initiators of the movement encourage people to request no plastic straws with their drinks when they visit restaurants. Often, Saffield reminds herself, “Do you need it? Or do you want it?” and believes that this attitude could help us all live more responsibly.