Ormond Beach's possible straw ban ⁠— why Persis says now is the time

Ormond Beach Observer
News

While the city of Ormond Beach is considering a ban on plastic straws, City Commissioner Susan Persis recognizes this initiative isn't a total solution to the single-use plastic environmental crisis.

“Certainly straws are not the main problem," said Persis at the Civil Discourse town hall meeting on Monday, June 24. "They are part of the problem."

The city attorney is currently drafting an ordinance to ban plastic straws city-wide, which will be brought to the City Commission for a vote. Persis asked for the ordinance at the commission meeting on May 21. The City Commission's next meeting is scheduled for July 30.

The Civil Discourse town hall meeting revolved around the topic of single-use plastics. It was the first of two town halls scheduled by the local group striving to improve communications between citizens and elected officials after the 2018 elections.

Persis said she cares about the environment, having grown up in Ormond Beach and remembered a time where the water was cleaner. The fact that water quality has worsened over time bothers her, she said. When she ran for City Commission, she said she was going to help protect the environment.

Persis said that platform wasn't a "political ploy."

“I do what I say, and I say what I mean and that’s just the kind of person I am," Persis said. "If I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.”

What's the deal with straws?

According to a National Geographic article,

500 millions single-use plastic straws are used every day in the U.S.
As many as 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the world's beaches.
8 million tons of plastic flows into the ocean every year, and plastic straws account for 0.025% of that.

According to Ocean Conservancy, who has an active Skip the Straw pledge,

The average person uses 1.6 straws per day.
More than half a million straws have been picked up at the charity's International Coastal Cleanups, making them one of the top 10 items on its annual list.
Straws can pose a danger to animals like sea turtles, albatross and fish.

According to Our Last Straw, a Washington D.C. based coalition aiming to eliminate single-use plastic straws:

Nearly 7.5 million plastic straws were found on U.S. shorelines during a five-year cleanup research project.
Plastic straws make up about 99% of the $3 billion global drinking-straw market.
Most recycling machines aren't capable of recycling straws.

She decided to kickstart the straw ban initiative in Ormond Beach following Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto of a bill that would have prohibited cities from banning plastic straws. The time to ban them is now, Persis said to the approximate 30 people inside the Ormond Beach Library auditorium.

Those in attendance agreed with Persis. No one spoke against a straw ban.

Steve Wonderly, the chair of the Sierra Club of Volusia and Flagler County, said the city should ban straws because they're harmful. Plastic straws also take almost 500 years to degrade, he said.

“We should do the right thing while we have the chance," Wonderly said.

Suzanne Scheiber, founder of Dream Green Volusia, said plastics are a "huge" problem, spurred on by a lack of waste management. She said more trash is being produced compared to what can be managed, and that Dream Green Volusia supports Persis' initiative.

The group is focusing on the impact of straws, plastic bags and styrofoam in Volusia County, and Scheiber said there are four other cities discussing different single-use plastic bans: Ponce Inlet, Port Orange, South Daytona and New Smyrna Beach.

“We’re in a coastal community here, and what we do makes a difference," Scheiber said.

Persis said people need to become cognizant that there are other alternatives to using single-use plastics. She said she recently walked from her home to the local Walmart and took photos of all the straws she saw littered on the ground. There were a lot, she said.

Ormond Beach banning straws wouldn't be an outlier, Persis said. It's a ban that's being discussed nationwide, and she believes it's something that Ormond and other communities need to do.

“People are really beginning to take notice," Persis said. "I think people have pushed it to the side for too long and now it’s literally piled up all over the world.”