Whole Foods Gets Rid Of Plastic Straws In All Its Stores In A Move To Reduce Plastic Waste Pollution

Like to sip your green juice through a plastic straw, say farewell to the much-maligned drinking tool as Whole Foods is finally it in the grocer’s recent move to join the environmental campaign discouraging plastic use.

Whole foods recently announced that the brand will get rid of plastic straws from all its stores in the US, UK, and Canada by July 2019. Consumers will soon have to revert to the old style of sipping their favorite drinks from cups.

This move comes after the grocer switched to smaller produce bags that use less plastic as part of Whole Foods’ attempts to be more environment-friendly.

They’ve also scrapped plastic bags at checkouts and polystyrene meat trays, and offer salad boxes made of compostable materials.

The company estimates that the recent change to produce bags and a ban on plastic straws will bring about a reduction of over 800,000 lbs of plastic waste generated each year, which is quite impressive.

By July 2019,  juice bars, coffee bars, and cafes in the Whole Foods shops will replace their plastic straws with  compostable paper straw certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

However, those with disabilities will still be able to access plastic straws from the stores’ bars and cafes. This consideration is important since, a plastic straw is an essential drinking tool, therefore universal bans might feel exclusionary.

Makeup artist Lyndsey said, ‘I shake a lot and have really weak wrist and hands, so most days holding a cup on my own is painful. I remember a few months ago I was bedbound for a week and a half from a flare, and I couldn’t even sit up to drink my medicine. ‘I needed straws – specifically plastic, bendable straws.’

The grocer plans to adopt more measures that will make their stores more eco-friendly, but as per now, their next move cannot be anticipated.