One of the biggest restaurant conglomerates in Chicago will be getting rid of all plastic straws soon. 

ChicagoEater - Chicago's largest restaurant company, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and its 120 restaurants will stop using non-biodegradable plastic straws, joining a growing movement sweeping the country. Rich Melman's company announced they hope to phase out plastic straws at all 120 of its restaurants by the fall.

As the article states, we've been seeing this across the country lately. Shedd Aquarium was one of the biggest places in Chicago to do it first.

The science on this is still up for debate. There's no question that there is too much garbage in our oceans. I think anyone would agree that a mass of trash twice the size of Texas in the Pacific isn't ideal. The debate is whether or not these sort of bans will have any impact on it.

I remember when everyone started breaking up the plastic rings on six-packs because we all saw the horrible pictures of sea animals being stuck in them. We've seen comparable pictures of animals getting straws stuck in their throats and I don't see everyone slicing their straw open lengthwise every time they throw one out.

My only plea with this is if you strongly disagree with this ban, please don't take it out on your waiter or cashier. I'm sure they would love to give you a straw if they could. Please remember that they're not the ones passing the policy.

 

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