Starting tomorrow, June 1, restaurants in Prince George’s County may only provide single-use utensils upon request, thanks to a new county law aimed at keeping local waterways and streets clean.

Introduced last year by councilmembers Danielle Glaros, Jolene Ivey, and chair Thomas Dernoga, the bill instructs restaurants filling take-out and delivery orders to forgo disposable utensils unless a customer has given special instructions to include them. Restaurants may also stock them at a self-service station for customers grab (like what you’ll see at a Chipotle.) Starting on August 1, third-party food delivery apps like UberEats and DoorDash must give local businesses the ability to customize an in-app menu that allows users to select what utensils they need, although many have already taken pledges to avoid throw-away cutlery. 

For the purposes of the bill, utensil — or “accessory disposable food service ware” — means the following: staws, utensils, condiment cups and packets, cup sleeves, splash sticks, stirrers, and napkins. Full-service and limited service restaurants, fast food places, cafes, delis, supermarkets and grocery stores, and even food trucks will all be expected to follow the law. (A business may request a temporary waiver if following the new rule would create “undue hardship or practical difficulty,” according to the text of bill.)

Enforcement won’t begin until Oct. 1, 2023, so businesses have time to adjust. In the meantime, Prince George’s County officials will be conducting an outreach campaign to educate both business owners, employees, and customers. After Oct. 1, any business that runs afoul of the law will receive a warning for a first violation, a $250 fine for the second, and up to $1,500 for a third violation the span of a year.

Prince George’s County now joins a growing list of localities scaling back the availability of disposable food ware; D.C. implemented a law in 2022 that prohibits food service businesses from automatically including single-use items in all in-person, online, and mobile orders. As of May 2021, Montgomery County restaurants may not offer single-use straws to a customer unless requested, or stocked in a self-dispenser.

While it’s a step in the right direction, the efficacy of small-scale or local plastic bans can only go so far in addressing a global problem, according to researchers. In a 2022 review of more than 100 policies aimed at reducing plastic waste, the most effective bans were those that occurred in phases, offered alternatives with a lower environmental impact than plastic, and worked closely with the public.