Page 12 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2023

COAST NOTE
Plastic-Free
Mississippi Gulf Coast restaurants currently participating in Plastic Free Gulf Coast: Savage Skillet, Bay St. Louis
Mockingbird Café, Bay St. Louis
Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant, Biloxi The Greenhouse, Biloxi
Makin’ Groceries, Biloxi
Whether you are grabbing a quick cup of coffee in the morning, eating a shrimp po’boy for lunch in a local restaurant, or picking up barbecue for dinner on the way home, the Mississippi Gulf Coast has plenty of delicious opportunities for dining out. Single-use plastic items such as cups, straws, take-out containers, and bags are often used in serving your meal.
Gulf Coast by reducing the amount of plastic you use when dining out. These small steps make a big difference when it comes to reducing the amount of plastic trash that ends up in the Gulf, protecting the habitats and animals we care about.
Here are a few ideas to reduce your plastic use:
bring with you and use again.
• Mention that you don’t need plastic
utensils when ordering your take out and bring your own reusable bag.
You can also support local restaurants working to go plastic-free. The Plastic Free Gulf Coast program helps restaurants stop using single-use plastics
Unfortunately, these single-use plastic products often end up in our waterways and make up half of all the trash in our oceans. These items also eventually break down into tiny pieces called microplastics. Fish and other animals can starve when they eat these microplastics instead of their typical food.
The good news is, you can easily do your part to make a difference for a cleaner
• Bring your own coffee cup or look for a place that has fully biodegradable ones. While it may seem like cups for hot coffee are just paper, they are usually coated in plastic, which makes them hard to recycle.
• Let your server know you don’t need a single-use plastic straw during your meal. You can skip a straw altogether or pick a reusable option that you can
and supports their switch to more eco- friendly and sustainable products. With initial funding from the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s Gulf Star Program and continued support from other grants, Plastic Free Gulf Coast has grown
to include restaurants in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. You can find a map of participating restaurants here: www.plasticfreegulfcoast.com.
12 | May 2023 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
story by Christina Mohrman photos courtesy of
Gulf of Mexico Alliance