One of Bunbury’s popular small bars is taking an environmental lead in the wake of the plastic bag ban.
Lost Bills is taking a stand and saying screw the straw in a bid to do its part in reducing plastic waste.
The bar made the announcement last week and will no longer be supplying customers with plastic straws.
Lost Bills manager Matt James said he was excited about the ban.
“We’re a small bar and we have the opportunity to do this because we’re not owned by big corporates – when we make a decision we can make it straight away, so that’s why I said stuff it, lets get rid of the straws,” he said.
“I’m part of a group called WA Bartenders, which is a state-wide Facebook group and a massive talk inside of the group has been about small bars actually cancelling out plastic straws.
“Plastic is everywhere, straws are everywhere and it’s filling up our oceans.
“It’s also to go with the plastic bag ban, no-one has battered an eyelid yet – at the end of the day we just need to get rid of them.”
Mr James said the bar prided itself on doing things differently that you couldn’t get anywhere else and said he hoped other Bunbury outlets would follow suit.
“Hopefully this will happen everywhere else in Bunbury and this is just the first, small step,” he said.
“We will still have straws available because we are a disability access bar, for people who need them.
“We’re excited to do it because it’s a push forward for getting rid of plastic in the world and we like to push forward on doing different things in Bunbury.
“There is a lot of initiatives saying refuse the straw but that’s actually targeting hospitality staff saying we’re the problem, so that’s why I came up with screw straw so we’re all working together and saying screw the straw.
“If anyone else can get on board, whether you’re a big corporate restaurant, nightclub or small business, just get rid of it, we don’t need it and you save money by not buying them – it’s a no brainer.”
Have your say? What do you think about bars and restaurants getting rid of straws?
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