Oakman Inns To Clamp Down On Plastic Straw Usage
In August 2015 Nathan J. Robinson was filmed removing a 10 cm (4 in) plastic straw from the nostril of an olive ridley sea turtle.
The video - filmed on a research project in Costa Rica - quickly did the rounds on social media and made an impact on many people. Then the boss of Oakman pubs - Peter Borg-Neal - was shown the YouTube video. Instead of just watching the film, Borg-Neal acted.
“My response when I saw the video was the same as anyone else. It’s appalling and horribly unnecessary,” stated Borg-Neal. “Those straws simply should not be in the sea.
Peter Borg-Neal therefore made the decision that Oakman Inns would join the #banthestraw campaign as of Saturday 22 April 2017 - Earth Day! (Until a couple of weeks ago, this UK pub and restaurant chain had been was using 100,000 plastic straws each month).
[This action] needs to be repeated by every one of my colleagues across the hospitality industry. Peter Borg-Neal
"It sounds ridiculous, but it is entirely accurate to say, that every plastic straw that was ever made, still exists today", observed Peter Borg-Neal. "They pollute landfills, rivers, roadsides, sewers, beaches and of course oceans and this relatively small amount that this pub group is taking out of circulation, needs to be repeated by every one of my colleagues across the hospitality industry.”
Customers at Oakman Inns will no longer automatically receive a straw in their drink. Should a customer ask for a straw, they will be offered an eco-friendly alternative. We believe that Oakman Inns intends to introduce a compostable straw, but they have not yet decided on a supplier.
Additional source: Eat Out Magazine