Everyday in the US alone, half a billion non-recyclable plastic straws get used once and tossed, ending up in landfills and littering our streets, waterways and beaches. But they don’t have to!

Toward Zero Waste is joining the stand against the unnecessary use of plastic straws to raise awareness about the bigger issue of single-use plastics. We feel that the overuse of the disposable plastic straw represents the larger problem of plastic pollution, and that awareness of plastic straw use will lead individuals to think about their disposable plastics use. Most single-use disposable plastics have a working life of 15 minutes but a lifespan of upwards of 450 years that is usually spent in landfills or as litter in our oceans and environment. Our hope is that raising awareness of plastic straws will get folks thinking about whether they really need the single-use plastics in their lives. That answer might be yes, but at least it will not be a mindless yes.

Restaurant Owners and Managers!

Join other Cary restaurants by making the commitment to reduce single-use plastic straw usage for the month of July. Participating businesses will be promoted at the screening event and on social media.