PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A top Democrat in the Rhode Island Senate has introduced a bill to curtail the use of plastic straws in restaurants.
Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey’s bill would prohibit a food service establishment from providing a consumer with a single-use plastic straw, unless the consumer requests one.
The Warwick Democrat says plastic straws litter the shoreline and harm marine life. He says curtailing the use of plastic straws in restaurants would improve the environment and encourage people to think twice about their own carbon footprint.
California became the first state to bar full-service restaurants from automatically giving out single-use plastic straws in September. The law took effect Jan. 1.
McCaffrey says his bill is similar to the California law. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture.
