For environmental reasons, Jillian Lucas carries a reuseable metal straw in her purse when she absolutely needs one for cocktails. While she doesn’t expect everyone to do this, she wants restaurants to limit their use of plastic straws to reduce waste. That’s why she started The Last Straw, a Toronto initiative that seeks to dissuade the use of them in the city’s food scene.By Saturday morning, about 149 restaurants and bars had signed onto the concept, Lucas said. “We throw out so many straws every day, and I’m hoping we can really make a change in the restaurant industry, that straws on request will catch on. The bartenders are busy, they are used to putting straws in drinks and they’re doing their best, but sometimes you end up with a straw, anyway,” she said.The one-day initiative, which took place a day before Earth Day, is also inspiring people to bring down their plastic waste footprint in other ways.“This might be the catalyst for other changes,” Lucas said, “for bringing reusable shopping bags, for using a reusable water bottle.” Nick Peach, owner of Dumbo Snack Bar, located in Parkdale, said he’s never stocked straws since he opened in March, calling the choice a “no-brainer.”But it doesn’t stop there. He doesn’t carry other single-use plastic items, like skewers, and aside from what’s in the bathrooms, Peach doesn’t use disposable napkins, either, preferring linens instead.He made this choice by getting feedback from the community, he said.“It made a lot more sense to reach out. I got a list,” he said. While Peach appreciates The Last Straw campaign, he said he wants to see the concept in practice year-round.“I would love to know how many of these restaurants are going right back to serving straws,” he said.Lucas said she couldn’t provide a count as to how many restaurants will continue using straws after Saturday.A ...
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