The Portland City Council passed a policy Wednesday to curtail the use of plastic straws and utensils, making them available only by request citywide.
Straws and other single-use plastics are bad for the environment and the city should discourage their use, Mayor Ted Wheeler said. Doing so aligns with the city's climate-friendly policy goals, he said.
More than 100 Portland businesses have already taken the step voluntarily, electing to provide plastics by request only or offering straws and utensils made from paper, bamboo or metal.
That's good for businesses because they save money in the long run by offering reusable utensils, said Nancy Nordman of the Surfrider Foundation, a national organization that works to protect waterways and beaches.
Nordman offered New Seasons Market as an example. She said it has prevented more than 100,000 single-use straws from entering the waste system since voluntarily joining the #DitchTheStrawPDX program.
Portland has long had eco-friendly policies, including a ban on Styrofoam containers since 1990 and a plastic bag ban since 2011.
Council members voted 4-0 to approve the plastic restrictions policy Wednesday, with Commissioner Nick Fish absent. It now moves to second reading, a perfunctory step that all but guarantees its final approval. The new rules take effect July 1, 2019.
"It's imperative that we consider our consumption habits," Mayor Ted Wheeler said. "We need to start changing the culture today."
-- Gordon R. Friedman