Local restaurants are ditching plastic straws to do their part to help the environment.
Dessart Sweets made the change once employees told owner Shelley Patterson about the negative effect.
“The impact of plastic straws is the single-use product,” she said. “That’s when I started thinking about switching over to compostable.”
Plastic straws are often discarded throughout the city and aren’t biodegradable. Dessart now offers two types of straws made from corn products. Customers can also purchase stainless steel straws for $3.75.
“I actually sold out in about three days of the first batch that I got, which I wasn’t expecting,” Patterson said. “But, people have been looking for that product.”
The straws made from corn need to be composted. Patterson has set up a composting area in front of her store, which she says other companies are welcome to use.
Other companies are also moving away from plastic, including Lancaster Taphouse, Julianna’s Pizza and Victoria’s Tavern.
Vic’s stopped serving straws about a year ago – and most customers support the idea.
“If you don’t serve it with a straw, they won’t even ask,” said Katie Strong, assistant general manager of the restaurant. “But for the people that do, you give it to them. They don’t go to waste, they recycle them, put it in their next drink.”
The straws provided are made out of paper.
The federal government is working on a strategy to cut back on plastic use, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stopped short of eliminating them.
Based on a report by CTV Regina's Colton Wiens
