Skip the Straw Florida Keys

Launched in 2018, the Skip the Straw Florida Keys campaign was created to engage Florida Keys businesses in better waste practices. The goal of this campaign is to have business owners commit to only providing straws upon request, leading a shift away from single-use plastics. Many participating businesses bring awareness to consumers through our educational materials, providing compostable alternatives, or ultimately do not provide straws at all.

On September 5, 2019, the City of Key West passed ordinance 19-12, City Code of Ordinances 26-312: Banning the distribution or sale of plastic (and bioplastic) straws and stirrers. This requires businesses in Key West to use plastic free compostable or reusable straws and stirrers. Since this win, Reef Relief has begun expanding the Skip the Straw Campaign to the rest of the Florida Keys.

Why Skip the Straw?

Plastic straws are generally too lightweight to be recycled.
Marine life that has ingested plastic has a 50% mortality rate.
Plastic straws break down into microplastics which are dangerous for many ocean organisms including coral who can consume them.
The chemicals plastics are made of can leech into the environment and be absorbed by the organisms within it, bioaccumulating in their bodies and biomagnifying up the food chain, causing negative health effects.
By 2050 there will be more weight in plastic than fish in the ocean.
Straws are one of the top ten sources of plastic marine debris found in beach cleanups.

The best way to keep plastic out of the ocean is to simply use less of it. As a business joining this campaign to no longer automatically serve plastic straws with drinks, you can help shift the demand away from single-use plastic, and reduce waste in our oceans.

How to join?
If you are a Florida Keys business interested in Skipping the Straw, please click the button below to sign a pledge. By signing this pledge, you are committing to only providing customers with straws upon request AND using only sustainable alternatives. If you choose to join this campaign, Reef Relief will provide you with a flyer and sticker to post inside of your business and you will be recognized on our website and social media.

Join the Pledge to Skip the Straw

Looking for alternatives to the plastic straw?…Click the images below!