This measure seeks to ensure that all restaurants deliver strawberries to customers only if they request them.
The Los Angeles Sanitation Office and Councilor Mitch O'Farrell reminded all restaurant managers of the city on Monday that as of Tuesday, October 1, Plastic straws should be delivered only if requested by consumers.
"As a coastal community, we have a greater responsibility to remove as much single-use plastic from the possible waste stream," said O'Farrell. "Restaurants throughout the city are already changing to alternatives that are biodegradable, while more Angels use reusable straws and, by extension, participate in helping to clean our environment."
This initiative had a first phase that entered into force this year on Earth Day and was applied to restaurants with more than 26 employees.
O'Farrell said that the new law aims to reduce plastic waste and that in this second phase, The law will apply to restaurants of all sizes.
"The city has been working hard throughout the year preparing the public and restaurant owners for the new law," said Enrique Zaldívar, director and general manager of Sanitation and Environment in Los Angeles. “As the ordinance enters into force in all restaurants and the application begins, It is our priority to ensure that residents and business owners understand why this new law is so critical in protecting our local environment. ”
The definition of the city of Los Angeles of plastic straws includes those that are not biodegradable.
Restaurant owners and several officials accompanied O'Farrel on Monday morning at Echo Park. The reason for this meeting was to discuss the law that is in force today.
Josh Estrada, a partner at Beacon Echo Park, said his restaurant already made the change to straws that decompose safely due to the importance it has for the environment.
One of the important aspects of this new law is how restrictive it is. An example of this is that in self-service restaurants or drive throughs, It is the customer who must request the straw, since the restaurant will stop delivering it.
O'Farrel hopes that this new law will be the next big step for caring for the environment. The councilman launched a campaign statistic Lonely Whale, where it was stated that Americans throw 500 million plastic straws into the oceans every day.
It is expected that with the launch of this new measure, citizens become aware of the damage that these wastes generate to the planet.
