Charles Sturt University (CSU) is going ‘Straw No More’ by abandoning the use of plastic straws at all its catering outlets from Monday 8 October.

CSU Food and Beverage manager Mr Brett Russell (pictured, with the ‘last plastic straw’) said, “Plastic straws are an issue in the environment, as they contribute to littering across our campuses and the wider community.

“They are particularly problematic if they enter waterways where they can cause significant harm to wildlife.

“Plastic straws are literally used for a few minutes before we throw them away, and every plastic straw ever made is still somewhere on our planet, so they are never really thrown ‘away’; there is no ‘away’.”

Mr Russell said CSU’s adoption of the Straw No More initiative follows the success of the University’s ‘War on Waste’ campaign to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups sold across its campus food outlets (CHEERS) by over 50 per cent since August 2017.

“We estimate we will save 65,000 plastic disposable straws from going into landfill or ending up in our environment every year,” Mr Russell said.

“Both the War on Waste campaign to reduce single use coffee cups and Straw No More demonstrate that simple changes we can all make to protect our beautiful campus environments can have big impacts across the University.

“As a university and as individuals we can all sign up to the Straw No More pledge to ditch plastic straw use!”

Paper straws will be available upon request for those with disabilities who might need them.