In an effort to keep moving forward with their environmental protection efforts, The Walt Disney Company is going to eliminate all single-use plastic straws and plastic stirrers at its locations across the world by mid-2019.
On Thursday morning, Disney revealed its plans to help reduce the world of more than 175 million straws and 13 million plastic stirrers each year. Disney will also work on eliminating polystyrene cups across the world at all of its owned and operated businesses.
As many guests have already noticed, Disney is also working on eliminating individual in-room amenities at resort hotels and on the Disney Cruise Line ships. The refillable shampoo and conditioner bottles will help in getting rid of nearly 80 percent of plastic from guest rooms.
Along with these moves, Disney is going to start reducing the amount of plastic shopping bags in its stores. Reusable shopping bags will start being offered for a small fee.
“Eliminating plastic straws and other plastic items are meaningful steps in our long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Bob Chapek, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences, and Consumer Products. “These new global efforts help reduce our environmental footprint, and advance our long-term sustainability goals.”
“Disney has always been inspired by nature – and it is a uniquely powerful brand that inspires, educates, and entertains, all at the same time,” said Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International. “Today’s announcement is more than about reducing single-use plastic waste, it’s also about showing millions of kids and adults from around the world the many ways we can change our daily habits to care for the oceans and protect nature that sustains us all. It also builds on Disney’s longstanding commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship, a legacy that stretches from the highlands of Peru to the islands of the South Pacific.”
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I think it’s a great idea. Maybe with the reusable bags maybe they do a gift with the purchase of a specified dollar amount or an annual pass holder perk.
Don’t bet the farm on it. Those “reusuable” bags cost money. At the Disney Store in my area they made this change. The bag is only about $5 – EACH.
Of course they could have just gone back to PAPER. Recyclable, biodegradable – sometimes on the spot if it rains – and used for decades without any real problems. Oh by the way – those reusable bags DO wear out eventually and are not easy to recycle.
Do you know that most plastic straw waste in the Icean comes from across the seas not the US! Stopping plastic straws really does not do much! I will bring my own plastic straws with me!
They’re planning on taking the single use plastic straws out of ALL of Disney’s parks, all over the world. I don’t think it would hurt you to not use a plastic straw for your one week vacation.
It hurts people with disabilities that need to use a plastic straw to drink…
I agree with you. 🙄 someone probably got paid 50,000 dollars to come up with this crazy idea.
Easy, if you need it, you can bring it. I know people with disabilities that need some special items, and they bring them in the parks, very easy for straws that don’t take place in a bag.
Guess what? If everyone had your ‘I’m on vacation I’m entitled’ mentality the world would be even trashier. Controling our unnecessary waste is ‘crazy’? I’m tired of seeing plastic litter everywhere – especially in the water. Stop thinking of only yourself.
Amen!!!!
You’re an idiot.
Carolyn, I know you’d like to blame others so you don’t have any accountability here, but we use HALF A BILLION straws in the US every day. Do the math on that – in your one week vacation, we used 3 and a half BILLION straws in this country, with none of them recycled and many of them ending up in the after. You can deny it and blame others all you want but that won’t change reality, it’ll only make our world more toxic.
I guess straw control is more effective than gator control?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=513EnQlwRfs&feature=share
Carolyn P. – Maybe they will follow our lead over time! It needs to start somewhere.
In my opinion, this effort by corporations – which is way late – is like putting a band-aid on a hemorrhage. Until ordinary people start making the effort to recycle, it’s not going to help much. What about glass, metal and paper that doesn’t get recycled? We switched from two trash pick-ups per week to one because we only fill half of a 13 gallon trash bag.because we recycle everything we can. I think most municipalities offer curbside pick-up so most people and companies have no excuse.
You have to start somewhere. Would you of thought 50 years ago we would have same sex marriage today? A tree once started as noting more than a tiny seed.
They will likely offer paper straws like they currently use in Animal Kingdom.
If Disney want to remove the plastic bags fine, but give our packages that we pay for in a paper bag. I shouldn’t have to pay or carry a bag around for the purchases that I make or going to make in the parks.
The reusable bags coast $0.99 and they are pretty big and guess what? You buy one and bring it with you when you shop and guess what? It’s a one time expense.
As some places they may cost $0.99 – but not the Magic Kingdom nor many grocery stores these days. The cheapest I’ve seen them lately is $2.49. and at the Disney store $5+ depending on size. Did you know they also wear out, are next to impossible to recycle, and you end up with dozens stashed away in car or at home when you forget to bring it along?
It’s a “nice” idea. But they could have just as easily gone back to using paper for free.
One step at a time. Now let’s change up the type of fireworks you guys use by using biodegradable firework shells!👍🏼
Thank you!!
We live in a coastal community where thousands of people vacation regularly. The mentality of ‘I should be able to do what I want on my once week vacation’ leads to trash everywhere – mostly straws, styrofoam, and plastic bags. Tons of this debris ends up in the water. We’re going to have to choose between going without these plastic conveniences or living in a trashed world.
It’s just a virtue signaling efforts by the current generation of idiot corporate hacks in a futile effort to appease the lunatic environmental left. Their efforts have little or no intended effects. Reusable bags are more difficult to dispose. All these straws and thin plastic bags are not thrown into the ocean. Plastic items are recyclable. The meme of reducing “carbon footprint” is just appealing to ignorant. Carbon is plant food and humans have little overall effect on the entire Earth environment system. The big drivers to this system include the sun, the Earth positional orientation with respect to the sun, and plate tectonics.
Disney Please just use Paper bags instead of trying to sell recyclable bags. Who wants to carry a bag around just in case they might buy something. Not me!!