In a bid to further cut down on waste, eco-conscious San Francisco is expected to join Seattle in outlawing plastic straws used to suck down Mai Tais and slurp up bubble tea.
The proposal, to be taken up by the Board of Supervisors today, also would make the novel move to ban vendors from using takeout containers made with fluorinated chemicals.
Washington's governor recently signed legislation approving a possible ban to go into effect in 2022, but San Francisco's January 2020 deadline would be earlier.
The legislation prohibits eateries from using plastic anti-splashers, stirrers and other plastic items that environmentalists say are too small to be recycled properly.
Retailers would no longer be able to sell the items starting July 2019. In addition, food and drink vendors would be allowed to dispense cutlery, napkins, condiments and lids only on request or through self-serve stations.
People with disabilities have spoken out against the plastic straw ban, saying customers with mobility issues rely on the tubes to drink and paper or metal straws aren't always appropriate.
But businesses in politically progressive San Francisco appear to be largely in support, with Supervisor Katy Tang announcing the legislation at a popular bubble milk tea shop in May.
"It's a movement not just happening in San Francisco but nationally and internationally," said Peter Gallotta, spokesman for the city's Department of Environment. "The larger elephant in the room is the single-use disposable culture we find ourselves in, and straws are the epitome of this unnecessary daily waste."
"It doesn't compost," she said, "so it will remain and continue to accumulate in the environment."
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