Portland Officially Bans Single Use Plastic Straws

In a unanimous vote Monday (October 21) it has been decided the entire city of Portland will be required to ban single use plastic straws. While the reception was mixed by citizens, the city council believes they will reduce plastic waste in the community.

According to WGME, the ban will take place in 2 parts:

1. At first, restaurants will only hand out straws when requested, no longer giving them freely.
2. Eventually there will be an all out ban on them city wide.

Part 1 goes into effect in April of 2020, with part two happening in January of 2021.