{"id":26906,"date":"2026-04-23T21:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T21:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/?p=26906"},"modified":"2026-04-23T21:15:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T21:15:49","slug":"skip-the-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/skip-the-stuff\/","title":{"rendered":"Skip the Stuff: A Small Shift That Solves a Big Waste Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Billions of disposable takeout items are handed out every year\u2014many never used, but still taking up natural resources to produce, costing money, and creating unnecessary waste. By moving from automatic distribution to \u201cby request only,\u201d Senate Bill 26-146 is a win for restaurants, a win for customers, and a win for the environment.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Open your kitchen drawer\u2014the one stuffed with plastic forks, soy sauce packets, and stray napkins. <\/strong>You didn\u2019t ask for them and didn’t need them\u2014but throwing them away felt like a waste, so there they sit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now multiply that drawer by millions of households.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you order takeout, the default is that utensils, straws, condiment packets, and napkins are automatically included, whether you need them or not. In the United States, restaurants distribute nearly 1 trillion single-use food service items every year<\/a>, costing the industry an estimated $24 billion annually<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a significant portion of those items go straight from the take-out bag to be stored in a drawer or thrown in the trash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new proposed bill, <\/strong>Senate Bill 26-146<\/a>, would make single-use items available by request only, cutting costs, reducing trash, and giving customers more choice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong>Ask your state senator to support this bill<\/a>\u2014it takes less than one minute!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Simple Shift with Big Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Senate Bill 26-146<\/a> offers a straightforward solution: instead of automatically including single-use items with every order, restaurants would provide them only upon request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Single-use items are resource-intensive from start to finish\u2014requiring oil, gas, trees, water, and energy to produce and transport, only to be used for minutes (if at all). This common-sense policy tackles that waste at the source while delivering real benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n