In the United Kingdom, a conference on the future of hospitality tackled the composting issues arising from the region’s growing number of drinking straw bans.
Speaking at the recent Unpacking the Future of Hospitality conference, Mike Hanson, head of sustainable business at Baxter Storey, noted that many plastic drinking straws labeled as biodegradable require an anaerobic digestor to break down completely. “If you don’t have access to [an anaerobic digestor], you are wasting your money,” he told attendees.
Martin Kersh, executive director at Foodservice Packaging Association, also told the conference that because plant-based, biodegradable straws are still technically plastic, they may still end up being regulated under local drinking straw bans.
The conference was hosted by UK Hospitality, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and The Morning Advisor.