USD takes away plastic straws

As of January 2019, the use of straws at sit-down eateries will be banned. At the University of San Diego, changes can already be seen in any eatery on campus. At Aromas, La Paloma, and the rest of campus eateries, signs have been displayed stating that customers need to request a straw in order to receive one. 

In the Student Life Pavillon (SLP) to-go cups are now placed next to the register, providing less easy access to the paper cups. Some would say this ban on straws across campus has been an inconvenience for customers and employees, but others claim the positive effect this will have on the environment outweighs any inconvenience. Sophomore Lauren Pohs believes no student or customer should put convenience above helping the planet. 

“It is just one simple thing we can do that will have a major positive effect on the environment,” Pohs said. 

La Paloma employee Marie Lawson explains the new protocol and agrees with Pohs’ opinion. 

“The new protocol is putting up posters that ask customers to request a straw,” Lawson said. “Straws are not put out at the register or coffee stations but instead behind the reach of the counter. I look at the new policy as a simple change in protocol rather than a distraction and can do my job successfully with the change implemented.” 

Lawson even argues the question of convenience. 

“It is not an inconvenience for me since many customers use reusable straws and support the cause for lessening the environmental impact of straws,” Lawson said. 

On the other hand, Aromas employee Maggie O’Keeffe found it difficult at first to adapt to this new change. 

“While you are making five drinks at the same time, you have customers asking for straws every second,” O’Keeffe said. “Now that the new paper straws are being used, we don’t have to do this anymore, but that being said, they aren’t very durable straws, especially for coffee. Maybe making an alternative biodegradable straw would be a better solution to use with drinks.”

California is the first U.S. state to pass this law, but it comes at no surprise that they are the first state to do so. They set the path for reducing our carbon footprint in 2016 when California was the first state to ban many stores from providing customers with single-use plastic bags. Although the California ban does not apply to to-go cups, California is starting an anti-plastic movement where the goal is to use the least amount of plastic as possible in everyday lives. 

On Sept. 20, California Governor Jerry Brown signed this bill into law, which “prohibits dine-in restaurants from automatically providing straws.” If a restaurant violates this law, there is a $25 fine every day straws are being automatically provided. 

“It’s not really about picking on straws, it’s just that straws are a form of single use plastic,” Plastic Pollution Coalition CEO Dianna Cohen said. “They’ve been designed to be used for a very short amount of time, and then be tossed away. And there is no ‘away.’”

As for the rest of the country, Seattle already banned plastic utensils overall this past summer. San Francisco has plans in place to ban straws as early as next year. Starbucks, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott UK, American Airlines, Alaskan Airlines, SeaWorld Entertainment, and the Royal Caribbean have all released statements saying they will soon be replacing their use of straws. These changes will be made by making recyclable plastics lids and straws made from other materials such as paper or a biodegradable option. 

Seventy-nine percent of plastic ends up thrown away or in the ocean. Twelve percent is burned in incinerators, adding to our carbon footprint and adding chemicals to the atmosphere. Only nine percent of the plastic we use ends up being recycled and reused. 

Changes are being made all around the country, but California has made the straw-ban a popular movement. The University of San Diego implementing this rule proves its focus on being a sustainable campus and shows how simple it can be to take care of the planet.