Prince George's County Bans Plastic Straws

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Prince George's County has joined Washington, D.C., and many other localities in the country in banning plastic straws and stirrers.

The County Council adopted Council Bill 052-2019 this week, which would prohibit "Food Service businesses or Retail businesses in Prince George’s County from selling, distributing, or otherwise providing certain straws and stirrers with certain food or beverage under certain circumstances."

The new law takes effect July 1, 2020.

D.C. opted to ban plastic straws earlier this year, joining cities like Seattle as worries grow about their environmental impact.

Companies have joined in the movement to eliminate plastic straws. Starbucks announced it would stop using them in 28,000 stores by 2020, opting for either a strawless lid or a paper straw instead. IKEA also announced it would remove single-use plastic from in-store restaurants by 2020.

Hyatt Hotels, Royal Caribbean, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines have also made pledges to abandon plastic straws and stirrers.

Inova, Northern Virginia's largest health system, announced in 2018 it will eliminate use of plastic straws at its five hospitals.

The health system reports it uses about three million straws per year, totaling about a mile in length each day. The ban will apply to public spaces such as cafeterias and gift shops.

"Inova recognizes that being a leader in healthcare means caring for our environment as well as our patients, said said J. Stephen Jones, M.D., president and CEO at Inova. "We understand the health of our planet affects the health of our patients and community, and encourage others in our industry to join this endeavor."

Inova says it's the first health system on the East Coast to adopt a plastic straw ban. The effort is part of a larger plan to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic items such as utensils, coffee stirrers, dishware and cups. These eco-friendly initiatives seek to keep plastic items from ending up in the Chesapeake Bay or other waterways.

Additional reporting by Emily Leayman/Patch