California announced that it has become the first state to implement a plastic straw ban in certain restaurants as an attempt to reduce the amount of plastic waste that pollutes our marine life.
State Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill yesterday that is designed to ban full-service restaurants in California from giving out single-use plastic straws to customers. There is a caveat however as customers can still get plastic straws in these restaurants if they ask for them.
The move was a historic one as this marks the first plastic straw ban in a state in terms of whether or not restaurants automatically offer their customers plastic straws. Certain cities have passed similar bans, including Seattle, which has banned the use of plastic utensils.
As previously mentioned, the plastic straw ban applies to full-service restaurants, which means that fast food chains and convenience stores can still pass out plastic straws. The move will push full-service restaurants to offer their customers paper or metal straws without being prompted to do so.
The bill could be quite costly as those who violate the law could face a $25 fine per day following two warnings. The piece of legislature is Assembly Bill 1884 and it will be in effect starting on January 1.
