Prince George’s County’s 2019 ban on single-use straws and stirrers that are not home-compostable went into effect on July 1st.
County residents use an estimated 1.36 million straws/day. Most are single-use plastic straws, which are not recyclable and are thrown in the trash or littered in our beaches, streets, parks, and waterways. Plastic straws are among the top 10 items collected in beach cleanups. Whether made from petroleum- or plant-based polymers, they do not decompose in the natural environment, but break into ever smaller pieces, polluting the water and harming marine life. The small plastic particles stay in the environment for centuries or more, and work their way up our food chain.
The new law (CB-52-2019) prohibits food service businesses from selling, distributing, or providing a straw or stirrer with food or beverage unless the straw or stirrer is home-compostable. Retailers may not sell, distribute, or provide a straw or stirrer to customers unless straws or stirrers that are home-compostable are also offered for sale. Most people, most of the time, can consume beverages without a straw. If one is needed, there are alternatives -- paper straws and reusable straws made of metal, silicone, glass, and bamboo. The law allows food service businesses to keep a limited stock of plastic straws to accommodate customers who need one for medical or physical reasons.
Help us spread the word! Print out the County's flyer for businesses to share the next time you encounter a business still using plastic straws! Download our flyer. For more information, go to the County’s Straw Ban Website. Contact Martha.ainsworth@mdsierra.org to join the Zero Waste Team!