Could Ealing Be First Borough To Remove Plastic Straws?

Local businesses joining global wave to try and reduce plastic waste

A local wine bar is spearheading a campaign to try and make Ealing the first borough free from plastic straws.

The devastation caused by plastics in the ocean was illustrated vividly by David Attenborough in the BBC's Blue Planet 2, and has had a knock on effect worldwide with many calling for more action to be taken to rid the menace of plastic production which is set to double in the next 20 years and quadruple by 2050.

Pizza Express which had given out around 1.8 million plastic straws a year in London alone, has vowed that its 460 UK branches will switch to biodegradable alternatives made from corn starch or paper by the summer. 

The movement is growing with many more organisations signing up and pledging to end the use of plastic straws.

 

Abbotshill Wine Bar

In Ealing, Abbotshill wine bar on St Mary's Road, is calling on local bars and restaurants to do the same and have been using the social media platform twitter with the hashtag #SayNoToPlastic to spread the word:

The move has been met with positive reception and other pubs and cafes are keen to highlight they are giving up plastic straws or using alternatives.

OPEN Ealing‏  @Openealing Replying to @AbbotshillWine @ealingtodaycouk and certainly going that way in the cafe.

 

fox inn hanwell‏  @HanwellFox Replying to @EalingInsider @ealingtodaycouk

Jolly good. We have a guide to recycling plastic by our bar should anyone wish to read it while drinking through a paper straw. #thefinalstraw #PassOnPlastic #refusethestraw #ealing

Darren Moore who is the Green Party Candidate for Northfield Ward said:

'' Thanks to The Blue Planet very vividly bringing to our attention the damage caused to our ocean’s sea life by our plastic use there have been a number of national and local campaigns to reduce the amount of plastic we use. However, it’s not only the world’s sea life that suffers from the effects of the hundreds of millions of straws that are used once and thrown away, they also often end up in our hedgerows or fragmented into tiny pieces and swallowed by our birds and wildlife.

''It has been very exciting hearing that a number of Ealing resident’s New Year’s resolutions have been to ditch single use plastic with a number returning to their local milkman to get their milk delivered in reusable bottles. With the understanding of our planet we have today it seems that the practice of making a plastic straw to be used once, then thrown away and for it to take 200 years to decompose is insanity.

''It’s time to follow these amazing local campaigns and “Refuse the straw” tomorrow.''

Ealing Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport & Leisure, Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, is also applauding the move:

"It's great to see Ealing businesses taking action on the issue of single use low grade plastics such as plastic straws. As a council, not only have we removed plastic straws in our café, which is fair trade, we have also introduced discounts for customers buying hot drinks when they bring a reusable cup or mug.

''We will always work to make the council a more sustainable and environmentally friendly organisation and are looking at ways of cutting the number of plastic straws in cafes run by our contractors and providers.”

 

1st February 2018