This is the last straw – well, sort of.
The city council on Wednesday passed legislation that would limit the use of plastic straws in Big Apple restaurants.
The bill, sponsored by Counselwoman Helen Rosenthal (D-Upper West Side), prohibits restaurants and other food service establishments from offering plastic straws to customers – but mandate eateries keep some in stock that accommodate them from New York Request to disable.
The bill also bans plastic strings altogether. New law-racking eateries face civil penalties, although enforcement of a similar ban on single-use plastic bags has been loosened.
Rosenthal (D-Upper West Side) said ahead of the vote, “I think limiting their use is a simple but important step towards addressing our plastic waste crisis.”
He said the provision that allows people to ask for a plastic straw is a “significant protection for incompetent customers that they need.”
But counselor Kalman Yeager (D-Burrows Park) says the bill is rife with “contradictions” because it requires restaurants to be kept in stock, and claimed that helping the environment raise revenue in the city by hammering on small businesses Is more about .
After voting in the committee on Wednesday morning, he said, “Either this is a bad thing or it is a fine thing, we have to decide.” “This is a new way for New York City to persecute businesses. We cannot let them live.
“If we really believe that these are bad, then just ban them.”
Yeager was one of four council members to vote against the bill, which passed with 43 yes votes on Wednesday, sending legislation to the mayor’s table.
New York City Hospitality Alliance executive director Andrew Riggi said he is “supportive” of the measure.
“There have been many environmentally conscious restrictions regarding these issues. Many drinks do not require straws for most people, so restaurants can save money, ”he said, noting that restaurants can still provide paper straw.
“This will help single-use plastics in the water that so many restaurants rely on for their fish.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio supports the law and is expected to sign into law.
Leave a Reply