The Antelope Valley Times

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L.A. moves forward with restrictions on plastic straws

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LOS ANGELES – Restaurants in much of Los Angeles County will soon be restricted from distributing plastic straws to customers who don’t ask for them, with the county Board of Supervisors moving ahead with restrictions Tuesday.

The county adopted an ordinance that will take effect Jan. 3. It will apply to all businesses serving food or beverages in unincorporated areas — including Quartz Hill, Littlerock and Lake Los Angeles — and provides that servers hand out straws only on request. However, businesses that previously distributed straws automatically may ask customers if they want one and then only oblige if customers answer yes.

Violators will be subject to fines of $25 per day and a maximum of $300 per year.

More than 100 municipalities statewide have put some restrictions on single-use plastic products. Malibu has banned the use of plastic straws, stirrers and utensils, while Santa Monica has adopted an even broader prohibition that includes plastic plates, trays, cups and other single-use containers that will take effect Jan. 1.

A Los Angeles Times editorial stated that Americans use — and almost immediately discard — up to a half-billion plastic beverage straws each day. Videos going viral on social media have focused on the harmful efforts of single-use straws on marine life.

Previous related story: L.A. County moves toward limiting use of plastic straws

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14 comments for "L.A. moves forward with restrictions on plastic straws"

  1. Straws may kill whales, but they also can save a human life. Now if I choke on a piece of meat and someone needs to do a trak there wont be any straws, what if someone has a collapsed lung where’s the straw. Kids won’t know the fun of blowing straw paper across the table, making chocolate milk bubbles, or spit wads shot on the ceiling.

  3. This just in…the movie Wizard of Oz has been banned in Los Angeles because it features the Straw Man.

  6. Is there something in the Water these days? Good Lord, with all the problems in the State & Country & these PAID OFFICIALS are more worried about STRAWS? This really proves that ”Liberalism is a mental disease”…. Why on earth are these Supervisors being re-elected??

    • They say that straws go into dolphins and whales blow holes. But I think that’s just silly nonsense coming out of their blow holes.

  8. So we’re worried about straws when homeless drug addicts leave dirty needles on the streets. Illegals coming in with chicken pox, T.B. Lice ,etc.? Liberals are Mental!!!!!!!!

  9. They are giving fines to restaurants for not giving me a straw with my drink. Should I have to ask for one? Just put the soda in a zip lock bag and assume I can find my own cup. They could have suggested that restaurants charge customers a nickel or a few cents per straw or spoon or stirrer but nah. Fining the restaurant draws in more income for the county officials. After all they gotta eat and buy toilet paper and send their kids through college. Nice to have the restaurant industry helping out as if they have a choice. How do they find out who’s violating the rule? Is there an undercover campaign going from restaurant to restaurant determining who’s giving out straws to customers that ordered a large drink? “Oooooh, I saw an employee give a straw to a customer that didn’t ask for one. Nailed him! I should get a raise.” Good luck to whichever company is next on the county’s “easy money” agenda.