Starbucks move to eliminate plastic straws has roots in Santa Cruz

A huge change coming to Starbucks stores worldwide.

The coffee chain plans to ban plastic straws from all of its stores within two years.

It’s a move many are applauding but also say is just a start.

The chain is one of the biggest of its kind to make this big of a move on plastic straws.

Monday, Starbucks announced that plastic straws will be out of all of their stores by 2020.

Instead they’ll be using newly designed lids for most of their drinks.

Environmental groups say single use plastics are to blame for nearly 40 percent of the plastic in the ocean.

Lawmakers here in California and all the way in New York have been hard at work on a ban.

In their announcement Monday, Starbucks said they first started testing out alternatives in Santa Cruz County.

Something Jackie Nuñez, a Santa Cruz local and founder of “The Last Plastic Straw” movement is proud of.

“It’s great to hear all these firsts happening all around the world,” she said, “A lot of things start here in Santa Cruz and it’s because of our love for the ocean, our responsibility to the Monterey Bay.”

Still, Jackie says this is only a beginning and hopes that Starbucks will continue pushing to get rid of single use plastics.

“[Turning] The amount of advertising they do for selling a frappucino into incentives for people to bring their own cup or even straws, you know they have everything there,” Nuñez said, “They’re poised to do that so we’re encouraging that.”

To find out more about “The Last Plastic Straw” and ways you can phase out single-use plastic click here.