An Islington facing campaign called Sack The Straw has been encouraging drinking establishments to suck it up and serve drinks the old fashioned way.
Local activist Antony Wilkinson pioneers the group which is petitioning pubs to jettison straws or switch to eco-friendly alternatives.
Plastic straws are non-recyclable single use products which typically accompany every soft or mixed drink served in our pubs and bars.
500 years in landfill
The common plastic straw takes around 500 years to decompose. They have been increasingly used since cheap plastics became available in the 1960’s.
British pub giant JD Wetherspoon estimates that they commit over 70 million straws to landfill annually.
Wetherspoon’s has been committed to only provide disposable straws at the customer’s request since 2017.
Sack the Straw want to take things a step further in Islington and completely do away with non-biodegradable straws.
A number of pubs had already taken the plunge and switched to paper before they were contacted by Mr Wilkinson.
But Connor, of The New Rose Tavern, warns pubs not to be too hasty if they decide to make the swap.
Speaking to City News on Wednesday he said;
“I heard a few pubs binned all of their plastic straws when they switched to paper, its important that pubs exhaust their existing stock of plastic straws. They are already going to landfill so you may as well use up the ones you have”
The local campaign is part of a nation-wide trend towards ditching the plastic straw. Mr Wilkinson was inspired by similar movements in other parts of the country.
Whilst some establishments, such as The Alma, have been quick off the mark, others have yet to respond to Sack the Straw’s directive.
The campaign also endorses other methods of reducing the eco-footprint of our drinking oases. These include stocking recyclable glass bottles over plastic and encouraging suppliers to reduce food packaging.
Tune in to City News at 3:30pm for the full report…
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Standfirst
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HeadlineIslington Pubs Back ‘Sack the Straw’
Short HeadlineLocal Pubs Petitioned to Abandon Straws
Standfirst
An Islington facing campaign called Sack The Straw has been encouraging drinking establishments to suck it up and serve drinks the old fashioned way.
Local activist Antony Wilkinson pioneers the group which is petitioning pubs to jettison straws or switch to eco-friendly alternatives.
Plastic straws are non-recyclable single use products which typically accompany every soft or mixed drink served in our pubs and bars.
500 years in landfill
The common plastic straw takes around 500 years to decompose. They have been increasingly used since cheap plastics became available in the 1960’s.
British pub giant JD Wetherspoon estimates that they commit over 70 million straws to landfill annually.
Wetherspoon’s has been committed to only provide disposable straws at the customer’s request since 2017.
Sack the Straw want to take things a step further in Islington and completely do away with non-biodegradable straws.
A number of pubs had already taken the plunge and switched to paper before they were contacted by Mr Wilkinson.
But Connor, of The New Rose Tavern, warns pubs not to be too hasty if they decide to make the swap.
Speaking to City News on Wednesday he said;
“I heard a few pubs binned all of their plastic straws when they switched to paper, its important that pubs exhaust their existing stock of plastic straws. They are already going to landfill so you may as well use up the ones you have”
The local campaign is part of a nation-wide trend towards ditching the plastic straw. Mr Wilkinson was inspired by similar movements in other parts of the country.
Whilst some establishments, such as The Alma, have been quick off the mark, others have yet to respond to Sack the Straw’s directive.
The campaign also endorses other methods of reducing the eco-footprint of our drinking oases. These include stocking recyclable glass bottles over plastic and encouraging suppliers to reduce food packaging.
Tune in to City News at 3:30pm for the full report…
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