If you noticed any Los Angeles residents walking around with chocolate milk mustaches on Monday, cut them a little slack — it was the day L.A.’s disposable plastic straw ordinance went into effect.
As written, the new law bans all area food and beverage servers with 26 or more employees “from providing or offering disposable plastic drinking straws to customers except upon customer request.” The ordinance will be expanded to include all restaurants — except fast food establishments — on October 1st. Restaurants caught violating the law will be fined $25 per infraction.
L.A.’s law is actually less restrictive than measures that have been passed in other cities. Manhattan Beach and Malibu have already banned all plastic straws and utensils from being used within city limits. Even major corporations, such as Starbucks and Disney, have begun phasing out plastic straws, stirrers and utensils.
Source: http://www.foxla.com/news/local-news/law-banning-restaurants-from-automatically-providing-plastic-straws-goes-into-effect-in-los-angeles
