{"id":44442,"date":"2018-07-02T13:53:04","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T11:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/temp-new.vmenginelab.com\/2018\/07\/02\/plasticfree-ban-on-straws-they-take-500-years-to-decompose\/"},"modified":"2018-07-02T13:53:04","modified_gmt":"2018-07-02T11:53:04","slug":"plasticfree-ban-on-straws-they-take-500-years-to-decompose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/temp-new.vmenginelab.com\/en\/2018\/07\/02\/plasticfree-ban-on-straws-they-take-500-years-to-decompose\/","title":{"rendered":"#PlasticFree: Ban on Straws\u2014They Take 500 Years to Decompose"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The fight against single-use plastic is rapidly gaining momentum. Straws are now in the crosshairs of multinational corporations, hotel chains, cruise ships, and government agencies. Just imagine: a straw discarded in the environment takes 500 years to completely decompose. In Europe alone, we use 36 billion of them. So, this \u201csource of contention\u201d has been banned\u2014starting with the world\u2019s oldest tennis tournament. That\u2019s right\u2014 Wimbledon<\/strong>, a classic of the English summer, wouldn\u2019t be the same without a sip of Pimm\u2019s:<\/em> gin, liqueur, mint, fruit, ice, and\u2026 a straw. But this year, the upper class\u2019s favorite<\/em> alcoholic beverage will have to do without. Just consider that 400,000 straws were used during last year\u2019s tournament alone. Great Britain uses 8.5 billion straws a year, and they rank among the top ten most frequently found items of litter along the country\u2019s coastlines. And even the 60 independent British music festivals have gone \u201cplastic-free,\u201d banning straws and disposable tableware by 2021 under the umbrella of the \u201cDrastic on Plastic<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u201d program. <\/p>\n

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Even the fast-food giant has begun to embrace sustainability. Starting next September, in the United Kingdom and Ireland McDonald\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> will begin distributing paper straws in its restaurants instead of plastic ones. For now, the company has no plans to do the same in other countries, but it has announced that it has begun testing the initiative in France, Norway, and the United States. This is a bold move, considering that in the United Kingdom alone, the fast-food chain uses about 1.8 million of them every day. <\/p>\n

The fight against single-use plastic continues overseas as well. The hotel chain Hilton<\/strong><\/a>has decided to stop using plastic straws in its hotels across Europe, Asia, and Africa. No more drinks or cocktails served with plastic straws, then\u2014instead, alternative solutions made of paper or easily biodegradable materials. Hilton\u2019s commitment involves eliminating over 5 million plastic straws and 20 million plastic bottles from 650 hotels. If laid end to end, the straws would stretch roughly the distance between Milan and Naples. <\/p>\n

From the mainland, we move on to the famous \u201cfloating cities.\u201d In 2019, the 50 ships in the fleet Royal Caribbean Cruises<\/a><\/strong> Ltd will no longer use plastic straws. This decision applies to all of the company\u2019s brands\u2014Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Cruises, TUI Cruises, and Pullmantur Cruceros\u2014and is part of a comprehensive program aimed at substantially reducing plastic use on board. <\/p>\n

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The island of Lampedusa has also decided to ban the use of plastic straws. To join the campaign, launched by Marevivo<\/em><\/a>, are the Municipality of Lampedusa<\/strong>, the Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area, Federalberghi Pelagie, the Lampedusa Entrepreneurs\u2019 Association, and the Pelagie Islands Beach Tourism Consortium. \u201cWe are very pleased that Lampedusa is one of the first islands to support us,\u201d explained Fabio Galluzzo, vice president of Marevivo. \u201cTogether with the Marevivo Sicily Delegation and the participating organizations, we were able to secure the first commitments. \u201cWe are focusing above all on involving the smaller islands\u2014small communities where it is easier to raise public awareness and where waste management is particularly complex. The campaign began on the Aeolian Islands.\u201d <\/p>\n

The straw\u2014an ancient tool first used by the Sumerians to drink the thick, cloudy beer of that era, and patented in 1888 by Marvin Stone\u2014has its days numbered. So do various single-use plastic items. The European Commission<\/strong> has approved new regulations to combat the spread of the 10 single-use plastic products \u201cthat most pollute Europe\u2019s beaches and seas<\/em>.\u201d Ear swabs, cutlery, plates, straws, drink stirrers, and balloon sticks must be manufactured exclusively from sustainable materials.\u201cIn light of the constant increase in plastic waste in the oceans and seas and the resulting damage \u2014the EU executive stated\u2014the European Commission is proposing new rules for the 10 single-use plastic products that most pollute Europe\u2019s beaches and seas, as well as for lost and abandoned fishing gear. These products account for 70% of marine litter<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n

Here at VMEngine<\/strong>, thanks to our CEO Fabio Cecaro<\/strong>, we\u2019re proud to be pioneers of the #plasticfree movement. We said goodbye to plastic bottles a long time ago, replacing them with convenient, washable, and reusable water bottles. After all, water tastes the same when you drink it from an aluminum flask.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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The fight against single-use plastic is rapidly gaining momentum. Straws are now in the crosshairs of multinational corporations, hotel chains, cruise ships, and government agencies. Just imagine: a straw discarded in the environment takes 500 years to completely decompose. In Europe alone, we use 36 billion of them. So, this \u201csource of contention\u201d has been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":44444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[562],"tags":[5138,5137,5139,5140,5141],"class_list":["post-44442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eco-friendly-en","tag-500-years-of-straw-disposal","tag-cloud-energy-savings","tag-drastic-on-plastic","tag-plastic-free","tag-royal-caribbean-cruises-is-phasing-out-plastic"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t