Sustainable Tucson’s Zero Waste Working Group, an affiliate of the national non-profit Beyond Plastics organization, is launching a Skip the Stuff campaign. This effort is a response to the overwhelming quantity of plastic waste that litters our washes, parks, streets and sidewalks, locally and globally, and harms human health and countless species.Â
Skip the Stuff is a national effort that addresses one segment of the single use plastic waste that is so prevalent: restaurants’ disposable food service-ware, such as plastic straws, plastic utensils, condiment packets, and endless napkins. In the U.S., 561 billion disposable food service items are used every year, resulting in 4.9 million tons of waste. These items are often automatically provided to customers who don’t need or want them, resulting in unnecessary waste that is costly to food service operators as well as an unnecessary expense for local governments to manage in landfills and litter clean-up.
Unfortunately, Arizona has a preemption law, which prevents municipalities from regulating or passing bans on these items. Skip the Stuff is a solution that does not ban or restrict use, but spreads awareness of the harms of plastic and changes the takeout culture from “opt-out” to “opt-in,” while offering sustainable alternatives. Its goal is to persuade food service businesses to ask before giving customers single-use items, and it encourages customers to refuse what they don’t need.
We can use your support! If you are interested in learning more and supporting this effort, contact: kevin@sustainabletucson.org.