Suck It Up, Soon You’ll Have To Ask For A Straw

Ontario County is launching a new campaign to reduce plastic straw waste in local restaurants.

The “Every Sip Counts” initiative begins this Friday, which is National Skip the Straw Day.

Participating restaurants will stop distributing straws to every customer automatically, instead only giving them to customers who ask. According to the Ontario County Department of Sustainability and Solid Waste Management, some businesses have already implemented this opt-in approach, either with plastic straws or paper straws.

Businesses interested in participating can get free window decals, table tents, and pins at a kickoff event Friday.  The kickoff runs from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at New York Kitchen in Canandaigua.