Summer festivals without straws and plastic utensils!
Finally, the European Union is planning to do something really meaningful to eliminate plastic waste: prohibit the sale of at least some plastic products. Specifically, these are: cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, plastic cotton wool swabs and balloon sticks in the case of affordable alternatives that we hope will be found. It is still little, but at least it's something!
How will festivals, funfairs, children's and similar cultural events handle this? They will have to use plates, cutlery and balloon sticks that are made of more environmentally friendly materials.
Festivals full of plastic: it will be over soon!
Whoever has been to any summer music festival can certainly recall this picture: a field full of plastic waste – from trays, through plastic dishes, to cups. It is true that the separated collection of plastic cups is already in operation, and at some festivals, the cups are "rented", encouraging the reusing of the cup by a single consumer and its subsequent return to the stand. Plastic cutlery, bowls and plates have not yet been dealt with.
Back to wood
Many summer gardens where food is prepared outdoors solved this problem long ago. They'll give you a paper tray and elegant-looking wooden cutlery. It looks better, it can be recycled, and the fork doesn't break as easily as its plastic alternative can.
Straws and stirrers – are they really necessary?
Let's be honest, the existence of plastic stirrers and straws is really quite useless. Especially plastic stirrers are astonishing. A beverage can be mixed with so many other things (such as a spoon or wooden stirrer) and a special plastic product is not needed for this 3 second operation. But they are used in every bar – you mix the drink for just a few seconds and the stirrer flies into the waste basket. What is the meaning of this product? Nothing. It's true that a straw goes really well with a Mojito, but it is really not necessary for a Coca Cola. And kids don't need them either! If their consumption is kept to a minimum and in inevitable cases, straws from more environmentally friendly materials are used, that's just fine!
Surely it's time (it's hopefully never too late) to think about our habits. Our planet is giving us clear signs and giving up a bit of comfort to save it is no sacrifice.
