Westport Launches #SkipTheStuff Campaign

Press release from the Town of Westport:

WESTPORT, CT — The Selectwoman’s Office and the Conservation Department are collaborating with local organizations Sustainable Westport, the Westport Farmers Market, the Westport Downtown Association, and the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, to join the nationwide #SkipTheStuff Campaign. #SkipThe Stuff is a public awareness campaign educating restaurants and restaurant customers to request single-use accessories, such as utensils, straws*, stirrers, chopsticks, napkins, sleeves, and condiment packets, rather than having restaurants supply them automatically.

According to UpstreamSolutions.org, every year, billions of unused straws, utensils, napkins, condiment packets, and other accessories are included in take-out and delivery orders, even if customers don’t want or need them. These unused accessory items often pollute the planet as they cannot be recycled. They end up in landfills or incinerators (or dropped on the ground or beach). Restaurants are spending money on items that are unused and unnecessary.

Decreasing the number of utensils, condiments, napkins, and straws that food businesses provide with take-out and delivered meals reduces business operations costs. Reducing the amount of these items in circulation also saves taxpayers money by lowering waste management costs and eliminating a common cause of litter.

The solution to this problem is simple. Restaurants in Westport may provide single-use utensils, etc., only upon request**. If customers need food ware accessories, they are available. But, if they don’t need them, they are encouraged to prevent waste and #SkipTheStuff.

Westport restaurants and online ordering platforms are changing their habits. Help say “No” to single-use accessories for orders. Uber Eats has already done it, and more are expected to follow the trend.

Westport Operations Director Tom Kiely added, “This is a fantastic initiative that the entire Westport community can be proud of. It is another example of Westport residents, and restaurant establishments, doing their part in reducing unnecessary waste. Westport continues to prioritize sustainability, and this is a chance for everyone to become involved in making a positive change for the future. I would like to thank all the co-sponsors for their help in bringing awareness to the #SkipTheStuff campaign and continued efforts as we go forward.”

For more information about #SkipTheStuff, please visit our website: Conservation Skip the Stuff

For more information on Westport’s ordinance prohibiting the use of single-use plastic food service containers, please visit Single-Use Plastics Ordinance. Also, follow us on social media: Insta Westport Conservation and FB Westport Conservation

*Pursuant to Article VII. Sec. 46-120-125, all straws must be biodegradable unless the patron needs a plastic straw for a medical or physical condition.

** as the ordinance is written, restaurants are not required to ask patrons if they need utensils etc. They are required to provide them only upon request.

This press release was produced by the Town of Westport. The views expressed here are the author’s own.