ASSESSING THE USE OF DEFAULT CHOICE MODIFICATION TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION OF PLASTIC STRAWS
- Available online in Detritus - Volume 04 - December 2018
- Pages 113-121
Released under CC BY-NC-ND
Copyright: © 2018 CISA Publisher
Abstract
There is widespread global interest in eliminating and/or
reducing the use of single-use plastics. An increasingly popular target is
single-use, plastic drinking straws. Although plastic straws are not a
significant component of the wastestream by weight or volume, they are one of
the most commonly found items in coastal litter cleanups around the world. In
addition, plastic straws are an avoidable product as their use is not
essential. This paper examined the impact of an ordinance based on modifying
the default choice of straws, which prohibited their distribution unless a
customer requested one. Based on a survey of 133 affected businesses, the
reported average decrease in straw consumption was 32% (SD=27.5%). For
restaurants not using a self-service straw dispenser, the average decrease was
41% (SD=25.2%) The majority of businesses reported no impact to their business,
some indicated a small decrease in costs, and others reported some negative
feedback from customers. Based on the study’s results, the
straw-upon-request-only ordinance has been successful in reducing the
consumption of plastic straws while minimizing impacts to businesses.
Keywords
Editorial History
- Received: 20 Jun 2018
- Revised: 09 Oct 2018
- Accepted: 09 Nov 2018
- Available online: 21 Nov 2018
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