Seattle has become the first major city in the US to implement a ban on single-use plastic straws and utensils, in an effort to create a public dialogue about environmental conservation.

The ban has been a long time coming for the city in Washington state: at least 150 restaurants began participating in the “Strawless in Seattle” campaign last year, reducing the number of plastic straws entering the waste system by 2.3 million.

As of Sunday, the rest of Seattle’s nearly 5,000 restaurants were required to begin providing compostable or paper straws and utensils to consumers.

The ban imposes a $250 (£190) fine on restaurants in violation of the new rules, but Seattle Public Utilities spokeswoman Ellen Pepin-Cato told The Seattle Times that the goal for the rest of the year was “continuing outreach and assistance to businesses to help them come into compliance, rather than enforcement".

There are some exceptions to the ban, however. Flexible plastic straws can still be provided to customers who require them for medical reasons. Restaurants can also continue providing plastic straws to customers for dine-in or takeout meals, so long as they are recyclable.

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If restaurants were unable to use the entirety of plastic straws and utensils in their possession prior to Sunday, they may call the Seattle Public Utilities department to set up a "compliance schedule".

Seattle has been working to reduce single-use plastic and Styrofoam waste for nearly a decade, banning Styrofoam packaging from the city's food industry in 2009.

The city also mandated all single-use food service items be “recyclable or compostable” a year earlier, The Seattle Times reported, but plastic straws and utensils were exempt from that legislation.

Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Show all 6 1 /6 Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic water bottle for a reusable beverage container Instead of continually buying drinks in plastic bottles you can switch to a reusable beverage container and reduce your single-use of plastics. Selfridges' Bobble 550ml filtered water bottle costs £12.95 and includes a replaceable carbon filter that filters water as you drink, removing chlorine and organic contaminants in the process. You can buy it from selfridges.com Getty/Selfridges Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee cup for a Travel coffee mug It is estimated that the UK throws away around 2.5bn disposable coffee cups a year and almost all are incinerated, exported or sent to landfill because their plastic lining makes them expensive to recycle. The new Latte Levy in the UK means there will now be a 25p charge on every disposable coffee cup bought by consumers. Pret A Manger announced that it will double its discount to 50p in an effort to reduce waste. By swapping to a reusable cup you will be able to help cut the cost of disposable coffee cups. This Keep Cup Brew, cork edition, travel cup in Fika is just one of the many available to purchase. It fits under most commercial coffee machines, is splash-proof and ideal for transporting your coffee whilst on the go. You can buy this particular cup for £19.99 from trouva.com. Getty/Trouva Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic bags for reusable cloth bags An eco-friendly alternative to an ordinary plastic bag is this lightweight shopping bag. It comes with a practical pillowcase pocket and features a black and white ink splatter design. Convenient and durable it also has a matte black spring clip to attach it where you need it. You can buy this from paperchase.co.uk for just £5.00. Getty/Paperchase Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee pods for a pot of coffee Cut your plastic coffee pod usage with a cafetiere. This Barista and Co, 3 Cup Gold Cafetiere, from Habitat offers a simple way to brew and serve in style. Made from borosilicate glass and plated stainless steel with an ergonomically designed handle, the cafetiere is built to last and a pleasure to use; a fine metal filter produces a smooth coffee that retains its natural oils. You can buy it for £30 from habitat.co.uk. Getty/Habitat Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Balloons for eco-friendly decorations Instead of using plastic balloons at your party try swapping them for some eco-friendly bunting. Handmade in Scotland, the bunting comprises thirteen brightly coloured pennants which spell out the words 'Happy Birthday', and uses lettering that has been printed onto 100 per cent recycled card. Included is 11ft of natural jute twine to hang the pennants on, and everything comes packaged in a cello bag. You can buy this bunting from Little Silverleaf on notonthehighstreet.com for £12.50. Getty/notonthehighstreet Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic straw for a reusable bamboo one Swap plastic straws for reusable ones made of bamboo. These straws are handmade in Bali and crafted by local balinese artisans. Made of organic and natural materials they are the best eco-friendly alternative to plastic, steel or glass straws. You can purchase them from Bali Boo on Amazon.co.uk for £13.99. PA/Bali Boo/Amazon

The Lonely Whale Foundation, an environmental conservation group which launched the “Strawless in Seattle” initiative, recommends using alternatives to single-use plastic food items, including glass, bamboo, paper, metal, silicone and steel.

Seattle is not the only city placing importance on environmental conservation, however.