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Jul 19, 2023

Restaurants in Port Washington aiming for plastic

Samuel Martinez, a manager at Haven Diner in Port Washington, uses compostable bags Tuesday as part of the restaurant's participation in the environmental initiative. Credit: Danielle Silverman A

Samuel Martinez, a manager at Haven Diner in Port Washington, uses compostable bags Tuesday as part of the restaurant's participation in the environmental initiative. Credit: Danielle Silverman

A plastic straw for your beverage, a plastic fork for your dinner and even a ketchup packet for your fries are just a few single-use items that will be harder to come by while dining out in Port Washington this month.

The nonprofit Grassroots Environmental Education has brought the worldwide movement Plastic-Free July to the area.

As part of the initiative, more than 20 local eateries have agreed to limit single-use plastics for takeout and delivery orders unless requested by customers, nonprofit officials said.

The Port Washington-based organization also has provided compostable bags for those businesses to use instead of plastic alternatives.

“Plastic is a mess because there is nothing you can really do with it after you’ve used it and you discard it, where it winds up in three places, either a landfill, incinerator, or dumped into the ocean,” said Patricia Wood, the nonprofit's executive director.

The United States generated 35.7 million tons of plastic waste in 2018, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That year, landfills received 27 million tons of plastic, while 5.6 million was combusted and only about 3 million tons were recycled.

Environmentalists say plastics are a large source of greenhouse gas and that the pollution the substances create also choke marine wildlife, damage soil and poison groundwater.

Alexandra Goetze of the Grassroots Environmental Education at Port Washington's Haven Diner. Credit: Danielle Silverman

Wood said her organization picked up this initiative with hope that it could spark a bigger movement on Long Island to limit or ban the use of single-use plastics.

Wood said nearby communities like New York City have adopted laws that help limit the distribution of single-use plastics in restaurants.

This year, Mayor Eric Adams signed the "Skip the Stuff" legislation that directs food establishments to provide plastic utensils, plates, cups, condiment packets and napkins to takeout customers only “on request," city legislative records show.

“We’re doing it in Port Washington so that we could move it to Nassau County and then Suffolk County,” Wood said of her organization's aim.

Some participating restaurant owners said the initiative will not only benefit the environment, but also lower their spending on condiments, plastic utensils and plastic bags.

Alex Molina, who owns Haven Diner, said he has many customers who request paper bags or plastic products, but he wants to stay away from single-use items.

“Especially with the environment, it would prevent a lot of contamination,” Molina said, noting that he also would consider using more compostable products this month.

“In the future, I hope customers that ask for plastic bags will go for this type of bag instead,” Molina said.

Raffaele Femia, who manages Amalfi of Port Washington, said he not only sees the plastic waste that leaves the Italian eatery, but also sees it in the ocean during his downtime.

“I’m a fisherman and I see all the plastic in the ocean. We always try to keep the ocean clean, but you got to start somewhere. I do at home and now I do it here," he added.

Femia said many of his customers appreciate the restaurant’s effort to stay away from single-use products.

“I think if we get off plastic use it will be a good thing for the environment,” Femia said.

Darwin Yanes is a native Long Islander and Stony Brook University graduate who covers the Town of North Hempstead.

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