Milwaukee OKs ban on plastic straws; mayor still has to sign

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Common Council approved a ban on single-use plastic straws, but customers can still get them by request.

The ordinance passed Tuesday on a 13-2 vote and now goes to Mayor Tom Barrett for his signature. His office said Barrett “supports the concept” but needs to review the ordinance before deciding in the coming week whether to sign it.

The ordinance says that beginning April 14, 2020, restaurants and bars will be prohibited from providing plastic straws if a customer doesn’t ask for one.

Milwaukee would be joining a growing list of cities that are passing similar ordinances, including Seattle, Fort Myers, Florida, and Washington, D.C. California and Oregon have passed statewide bans.