Pupil power wins in war on plastic straws

Pupils at a school in Scotland have persuaded two major organisations to stop the use of plastic straws in their bid to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean.

Campaigners from Sunnyside Primary School in Glasgow, who have worked closely with WDC’s Shorewatch team and field officers in recent years, have convinced Scotland’s biggest council to ban straws, and also Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) ferries to stop offering straws to customer on their vessels.

Pupils impressed Glasgow City Council with their campaign. Councillor, Anna Richardson, the council’s Convenor for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, said: ‘I’m delighted to announce that single use plastic straws will not be on offer in all council-run cafes and restaurants from the end of February and that they will be replaced by eco-friendly alternatives. Sunnyside Primary School’s #NaeStrawAtAw campaign has been the deciding factor in this move and the pupils are to be congratulated on their impressive lobbying skills.’

A study by Eunomia Research and Consulting estimates that EU countries use 36.4 billon straws each year. Plastic pollution in our oceans poses a real threat to whales and dolphins. 56% of all whale and dolphin species, from small fish-eating dolphins to the largest filter feeding whales, have been recorded eating marine plastics they’ve mistaken for food. 

FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP, GO TO WDC’S NOTWHALEFOOD SITE. BE A PLASTIC HERO! Plastic is #NotWhaleFood.