Plastic Straws, Beyond the Ban
By Emily Fuchs
FORT LAUDERDALE — In January the Fort Lauderdale City Commission passed the ordinance banning the sale and distribution of single-use plastic straws which will go into effect in January 2020. Beyond the ban, the objective is to bring awareness on how to take small steps to altar the state of marine pollution and its dangerous implications.
Plastic pollution is a prominent issue around the globe, especially in coastal regions. Ft. Lauderdale joins the list of places that have pursued legal action to lower waste and ecological footprints. Barring a few exceptions, businesses in the area may only provide plastic straws upon request.
“Anyone who lives in a coastal community knows very much how important it is to preserve our waterways and our wildlife,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said.
The city has initiated the “More Flavor, Less Plastic” campaign to introduce and educate the public on the new ordinance and how to reduce single-use plastics. Individuals and groups are urged to join the movement by committing to make lifestyle choices that decrease the need for these items. This is an effort to protect the environment for future generations due to the threat plastic imposes on marine life, and also to reduce the economic impact of the city spending money on waterway clean up and trash disposal.
Statewide, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has encouraged all residents, organizations, companies, etc. to reduce the use of plastic straws. In an effort to promote cohesiveness, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association has asked industry members to implement systems where plastic straws are only provided upon request, and to use straws made of alternative natural material such as pasta, sugarcane, wood or bamboo.
Americans use over 500 million straws daily. This product, that is used for minutes and then discarded, is contributing to marine pollution which will inflict dire consequences beyond our lifetime.
Plastic straws land in waters due to trash littered or blown out of cans or modes of transportation. While not the top contributor of the approximately eight million tons of plastic trash that flows throughout the world’s oceans annually, their small size puts wildlife at risk of getting entangled in and ingesting them.
Many aquatic animals’ deaths are directly related to plastic consumption.
Once in the ocean, plastic breaks down into smaller pieces known as “microplastics”. The majority of marine mammals have ingested these microplastics which means that by polluting the environment with plastic, we are in turn doing the same to our bodies when we consume seafood. Microplastics also release chemicals into the soil, water and air which are harmful to the inhabitants of the earth.
Because plastic takes 1000 years to decompose, studies show that the buildup accumulated from a history of mass cheap production will surpass marine life by 2050.
“The oceanic ecosystem affects
everything about life as we know it, and most people don’t realize that,” said 22-year-old FAU Marine Biology Student and 4Ocean employee Hannah Blum. “We are unintentionally killing the animals of the ocean and that in turn could eventually play a role in the end of the human population.”
Playa Bowls, a New Jersey shore smoothie chain with locations throughout South Florida, switched to compostable serving ware in 2018. According to their website, products are made from Ingeo, a plant-based plastic.
“It just goes really well with our mission,” said Playa Bowls Ft. Lauderdale employee Sarah Dawson. “The ocean inspires our commitment to leading the people in our community to a sustainable and natural lifestyle that does no harm to the body or the surrounding environment.”
As for other chain companies, Starbucks envisions phasing out straws by 2020. Even airlines are getting onboard with Alaska Airlines being one of the first to stop their supply of straws and stirrers.
The real goal of the local and global initiatives and campaigns like National Skip the Straw Day and #stopsucking is to give people an idea on how to start eliminating single-use plastics all together, one step at a time. It’s all about examining lifestyles, making minor changes of habit involving what can be lived without and then spreading awareness. For most able-bodied people, eliminating a straw is a simple adjustment that contributes to the reduction of waste and ecological footprints.
Actor and co-founder of The Lonely Whale (the organization that catapulted the strawless movement), Adrian Grenier, says that people can get overwhelmed by the vastness of problems, and give up for that reason. Getting rid of straws represents an attainable yet impactful approach to a greater issue.
Jasmine Roig, 22-year-old ocean-based entrepreneur and activist, hopes that individuals will focus on how they can make a difference. While she participates in the campaign, she prefers using it as a measure to start conversation and get people thinking instead of alarming them with threatening statistics. Her goal is to grow the attention on ocean conservation, more so than a trend.
Roig says that you do not have to be anyone special to inspire change. There are simple ways everyone can help eliminate waste.
For starters, you can skip the straw all together by not asking for it at restaurants. If you require or prefer a straw, many non-plastic options such as metal, glass or collapsible, are available.
You can also clean up the beach on your own or with a group. Roig broadcasts these on social media and meets up with friends and followers to lead them on weekends.
“Always, when you are leaving the beach, just pick up four pieces of trash,” said Roig. “I was just at the beach and there was trash everywhere. It’s so simple and if everyone did that, there would be no trash.”
Now that the city of Ft. Lauderdale has victoriously taken a small step in the greater scheme of the environment, started a conversation and brought on awareness of the importance of the marine environment in our area, how do we continue to save the oceans critical marine life?
According to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, the next goal is to follow the lead of surrounding cities and create ordinances eliminating plastic bags and utensils, and Styrofoam (which similarly to plastic enters landfills and water and never disintegrates) and replace them with eco-friendly materials.
“There is so much to be done,” said Roig. “But these little steps will one day add up and accomplish the ultimate task of ensuring the health of our planet for generations to come.”
