Rockville Is Poised To Ban Single-Use Plastic Straws

City hopes ordinance will bring a 70% reduction in waste from straws

By Connor Perrett for Bethesda Beat

Bethesda Beat Photo

Rockville is considering a ban on single-use plastic straws – with exceptions.

The City Council last month opened a discussion on a proposed ordinance that would require restaurants and carry outs to offer straws that can be composted or recycled unless a customer specifically requested a plastic straw.

Businesses could face a $25 fine for each violation. Grocery stores and other retailers would still be permitted to sell plastic single-use straws for home use, city of Rockville Environmental Director Mark Charles said.

The city’s ordinance is similar to others being adopted across the state and nation as governments push to reduce or eliminate plastic waste. The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation in April that would ban polystyrene products, such as foam plastic cups and to-go containers, beginning in July 2020.

The statewide legislation does not cover single-use plastic straws, though there was a failed attempt earlier this year to pass a ban in Maryland.

Polystyrene containers have been banned in Montgomery County since 2016. The law that banned those containers requires all disposable food service waste – including straws – be composted or recycled; however, plastic straws are not recyclable in Montgomery County and are effectively banned, Charles said.

Montgomery County spokesman Neil Greenberger said single-use plastic straws are illegal under the law that went into effect in 2016, but said it is unclear and the county is working toward legislation that would specifically ban single-use plastic straws. He said the law is enforced on a complaint basis, and he was unaware of any complaints since the law was implemented.

A ban on polystyrene containers took effect in Rockville on Jan. 1. Charles said Rockville’s proposed straw ban would allow exceptions where Montgomery County’s current legislation does not.

Emmanuel Manolis, owner of Black Lion Cafe in Rockville, said that his business currently used plastic straws but would support the city’s effort to ban them.

“We haven’t thought about that yet,” Manolis said in a phone interview. “If that’s the case we will abide by that and we will move on. I think that’s OK; I am a green supporter myself.”

Manolis added his cafe would likely adopt paper straws for beverages that required a straw for consumption, though he said he hadn’t yet looked into options for ordering them for his business.

Charles said he didn’t anticipate a large cost of implementation, as plastic straws are already technically banned under county law and the Rockville ordinance adds greater freedom in the form of the exemptions.

“There’s no commercial avenue you could take to actually recycle or compost plastic straws in Montgomery County, and so they’re effectively banned in Montgomery County and have been for over a year,” Charles said. “We thought that was a burdensome result, so we have proposed to add new provisions of our own that retain the general prohibition on plastic straws.”

Charles said he hopes the ban leads to a 70% reduction in plastic straw use in Rockville.

Josh Tulkin, director of the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club, said he supported Rockville’s decision on a ban as he sees bans like these as part of a bigger solution in changing culture.

“We’re seeing a significant increase in local and state policies attempting to address our single-use disposable culture,” Tulkin said. “Some places are approaching it comprehensively, and some jurisdictions are focusing on certain pieces like bags and plastic straws. What’s clear is getting a conversation going in a jurisdiction about single-use disposable culture and how that jurisdiction can help make a dent in that is important. Straws are a great educational tool because a lot of people utilize them.”

There’s been a push nationwide to end the use of plastic straws, which are often hard to recycle and end up in waterways. Cities, counties and municipalities nationwide have enacted bans similar to the one proposed in Rockville over the past several months. Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have prohibited Florida cities and towns from imposing bans on plastic straws.

Garrett Park was the first town in Maryland to ban plastic straws in February. Charles County enacted a ban on single-use straws that is slated to go into effect in July of next year. In 2018, global coffee giant Starbucks announced it would almost entirely eliminate plastic straws globally by 2020.

The Rockville council could vote on the proposal this month.