Straws disappearing from select Calgary restaurants as part of growing effort to reduce waste

Andrea Burke carries a strawless drink to a table at The Park Kitchen & Bar in Quarry Park. The establishment is phasing out drinking straws.

An increasing number of eateries in the Calgary-area are serving drinks to their customers sans straws in an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of the plastic tubes that cannot be recycled.

Andrea Burke, a server and assistant manager at The Park Kitchen & Bar, says ownership recently decided to phase out straws at the restaurant in Quarry Park at the suggestion of staff.

“We’re saving about 850 pounds (385 kg) of straws every year just by not doing it,” explained Burke. “It does make a difference and it does kind of lead the initiative to talk about it.”

Burke says customers have been overwhelmingly supportive of the move. “We started a week ago and the feedback’s been great. People actually come from all over the city to here because we don’t use straws. It’s really awesome.”

“It’s something that’s so easy to change but it does (make an) impact. The drinks still taste the same with no straws.”

Sharon Howland, leader of program management with the City of Calgary waste and recycling services, applauds efforts to prevent the waste of resources.

“The best thing with (single-use) utensils and straws is just to avoid them,” said Howland. “We’re perfectly capable of drinking without straws, most of us, so don’t take one.”

Howland says straws often end up as litter in the community and are capable of travelling great distances. “They get caught up in the storm water, they end up in the river and all water leads to the ocean.”

Straws tossed in the garbage will wind up in landfills for countless years. Placing the drinking instruments in the recycling bin only prolongs the inevitable and can prevent actual recyclable materials from becoming new goods.

“Single use items, like utensils and straws, all of these items don’t generally have a (resin identification code) number on them so they’re usually a mixed-plastic polymer that is not recyclable at all,” explained Howland. “If it ends up here (at the recycling sorting facility), it gets caught up in the screens, falls through and ends up in the other recycling commodities which affects their quality.”

“We send that material off to the market to be turned into something new and the manufacturer will take a look at the material and say ‘Hey, we can’t use this. It’s full of little plastics’.”

For restaurant-goers who prefer to use straws, Howland recommends purchasing a reusable straw and straw cleaner to carry with them when they dine out. “When you’re going out for lunch you can use those reusables and you don’t have to worry about generating this extra garbage.”

Mohammed El Hazouri, a consumer behaviour researcher at Mount Royal University, says businesses that choose to attach themselves to a social cause may attract attention and new customers. “Consumers try to buy from brands that are good and that are similar to them in personality and in values.

But El Hazouri says owners should expect to face a backlash if there is any reason to question their sincerity or motivation for adopting the cause.

With files from CTV’s Stephanie Wiebe

An increasing number of eateries in the Calgary-area are serving drinks to their customers sans straws in an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of the plastic tubes that cannot be recycled.