By Karyssa D’Agostino
As more and more towns pass local laws limiting single-use plastics to protect the environment and reduce litter cleanup costs, some Two River-area businesses are switching to alternative, eco-friendly supplies.
There is pressure to find the right solution while still keeping customers happy. Biodegradable substitutes for plastic straws and Styrofoam takeout containers can also be costly. But then again, so are municipal fines for noncompliance.
Monmouth Beach famously passed a strict ban on single-use plastic June 1, which includes plastic bags, polystyrene food containers and plastic straws. Businesses can face fines of up to $2,500 if they don’t comply.
On a hot day, sipping iced coffee through a straw is a summertime treat. Booskerdoo Coffee & Baking Co., with locations in Monmouth Beach, Fair Haven, Holmdel and Asbury Park, moved to eliminate plastic straws at all its locations. The company tried a plant-based straw for its iced coffees, but were quickly informed by Monmouth Beach that so-called PLA (polylactic acid) straws are still considered a plastic. PLA are made from renewable resources, such as sugarcane or corn starch and, although biodegradable, simply become another form of plastic that takes years to breakdown in landfills and the ocean.
The company then switched to “sippy lids” in order to avoid being fined. The transition went smoothly, said Booskerdoo CEO and owner James Caverly.
“Paper straws are exorbitantly expensive, they also just don’t work very well,” Caverly said. “Especially with coffee, because coffee has acidic properties that’ll just eat away at the paper way faster than if you put it in just water. So we knew we couldn’t do that.”
Caverly explained that when a change like this takes place, the demand on suppliers for alternatives to plastic becomes higher. The plus side to this is more normalized prices for items like the “sippy lid,” making it more affordable for businesses to make the eco-friendly switch.
He is hopeful that small changes like switching away from plastic straws will lead to more changes, like eliminating plastic cups and eventually all plastic.
“People really like the lid. They think it’s cool,” Caverly said. “It’s been more positivity than negativity.”
However, this is not the case for every business making eco-friendly switches. Courtlyn Crosson, owner of Coffee Corral, located on Red Bank’s West Side, made the effort to switch to paper straws last summer.
Red Bank does not yet have a single-use plastic ban but the borough council is planning to propose legislation banning supermarket plastic bags and foam containers in August. Plastic straws are not included.
“I think there will be a lot of unhappy customers if we do switch,” Crosson said.
She speaks from experience. Coffee Corral switched back to offering plastic straws – alongside the paper straws – due to customer requests.
“I actually first came across paper straws probably four years ago in Florida and I was like ‘Oh these are really cool!” said Crosson.
The expense of paper straws caused her to put the idea on hold. But when Monmouth Beach, her hometown, began talks of banning single-use plastic, Crosson started budgeting for the switch.
After figuring out how to avoid raising prices on beverages, she tried paper straws last summer in the Red Bank shop. While switching to paper straws exclusively did not work out, Crosson may consider experimenting with a more durable eco-friendly straw, like a corn or avocado seed straw.
Recently, Monmouth Beach and Atlantic High- lands banned helium balloon releases because of the harm they could cause animals who mistake the balloon remnants for food.
Party Corner, in Shrewsbury for 50 years, does big business in balloons, as well as general party supplies and rentals. The party store is always trying to stay ahead of trends.
The staff keeps an eye on social media, especially Pinterest, and listen to customers, said Maria Flynn, Party Corner’s general manager.
“They know what they want. Especially the millennials, they bring so many ideas.”
That is how Flynn found what she calls biodegradable “dove” and latex balloons she now offers to clients as a more eco-friendly option.
They also have stopped using helium to make their balloon arches and “balloon designs” as Flynn calls them, due to the global helium shortage. Balloons filled with air instead of helium won’t float away and are less likely to end up in the ocean.
“We used to get 20 tanks (of helium) a month in the heavier months,” Flynn said. “And our supplier cut it to five.”
They found other suppliers and now, between two helium vendors and the air-filled arches and designs, customers have choices and business is good.
The store also offers clients paper straws, bamboo flatware, rental linen and dish services (to avoid single-use dishes and table coverings) and they reuse the plastic bags their balloons are stored in when being brought to events.
