A measure that would prohibit restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by a customer was approved by the Assembly on Wednesday and will now be considered by the state Senate.

Straws are the fifth most common item gathered at beach clean ups, according to 5 Gyres. Those that remain in the ocean typically break down into small particles and can be mistaken for food by marine animals.

The proposed law, AB 1884, is intended to reduce the number of straws that end up on the beach and in the ocean, as well as in landfills. The official tally of the Democrat-backed bill showed it passed in a 49-25 party-line vote with 4 members not casting votes.

“AB 1884 will help us meet our solid-waste goals and reduce the negative effects of plastic pollution,” said Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, D-Whittier, co-author of the measure. “By removing the default behavior of providing straws with every drink, a consumer is given the chance to make a deliberate, small change that will lessen the harmful impacts of discarded plastic straws in our environment.”

Related: 6 California bills targeting plastics that end up on the beach and in the ocean

Assemblyman Matthew Harper, R-Huntington Beach, was among those opposing the measure.

“California businesses already have too much regulation,” Harper said. “Going after litterers is the way to address the problem, not going after the restaurants. … You hardly get anybody who gets cited for litter. That’s something that should be stepped up.”

In February, the Malibu City Council voted unanimously to ban restaurants and food vendors from offering plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery. Manhattan Beach, Santa Cruz, Davis and San Luis Obispo have related restrictions.

Additionally, many restaurants have decided on their own to limit the use of single-use plastic straws. It is one of several criteria that can qualify eateries for the Surfrider Foundation’s list of ocean-friendly restaurants.