Support the Plastic Straw Tax and Help Our Environment Heal

We've all heard of drawing straws, but what about taxing them?

The plastic straw — the largely superfluous, environmentally damaging household item — may be on its way out. At least, that could be the case of Scottish NP MSP gets her way. Forbes, who represents Skye, Lochaber, and Badenoch, is proposing a plastic straw tax in hopes that it will curtail their use in restaurants and other establishments.

Single-use plastic items like cups, plastic shopping bags, and straws are wreaking havoc on our environment, especially our oceans where — according to experts — in the next three decades, there could be more plastic in our seas than fish.

Last year Scotland implemented a deposit-return scheme for plastic bottles to promote bottle recycling, but a similar program for straws would be much more difficult and while the ultimate goal would be to ban them, a levy on the plastic utensil could be the first step.

It is time for governments like Scottland and others to do as much as they can to reduce and reverse the damage environmentally toxic items like plastics cause to our planet. You can help by showing your support for MSP Forbes' proposal. Sign the petition and tell the Scottish National Parliament it's time to tax the straw.