Every year, billions of unused straws, utensils, napkins, condiment packets, and other 
accessories are included in our take-out and delivery orders and just thrown away. 

Together, We Can Change This 

The Costs To Our Pockets

• Restaurants spent $19 billion on disposable items, pre-COVID.

• Local governments spend $1 billion annually managing the waste litter.

The Costs To Our Planet

• 23 million metric tons of plastic waste enters the ocean annually – the U.S. is the biggest source.

• In the U.S., 561 billion disposable food service items are used every year, creating 4.9 million tons of waste.

• Disposable utensils – more than 36 billion are used every year in the United States. Put end to end, they would wrap around the Earth 139 times.

• Straws and stirrers were the 3rd most common beach litter items during the 2019 International Coastal Cleanup. Americans use as much as 142 billion straws each year.

• Napkins and other paper products come from trees and require significant water to produce. Cutting trees propels the climate crisis and destroys habitat, in the midst of the planet’s 6 mass extinction of species.

• Production of plastic emits greenhouse gases and harms communities near oil and plastic production and waste incineration facilities.

We Can Solve This With The #SkipTheStuff Campaign

Customers should only be served straws, utensils, condiment packets, and other accessories when they ask for them.

Food delivery apps, online delivery platforms, and restaurants should include these accessories on the menu and provide them only if requested.

If you need it, you can get it. And if you don’t need it, no need to waste it.