Union Square Hospitality Group is the latest restaurant operator to ditch plastic straws.
USHG CEO Danny Meyer announced the plan this week on Twitter.
One small step. Planning to roll out biodegradable straws for all @USHGNYC restaurants in next weeks. https://t.co/vjKZJQEBmU
— Danny Meyer (@dhmeyer) May 15, 2018
“One small step,” he wrote, adding that USHG will start using biodegradable paper straws at all New York City restaurants this week. Shake Shack, which Meyer founded, is not part of USHG and is not participating in the plastic straw ban.
“We decided to phase out plastic straws after learning that 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean ever year,” Meyer’s Union Square Cafe posted on Twitter. “The team here is excited to help take a small step toward protecting our environment by replacing them with a biodegradable alternative.”
A number of restaurants are phasing out plastic straws as some municipalities, including Seattle, have banned the items or are considering legislation that would do so.