As of November 1, 2021, New York City food service establishments cannot provide:

  • Single-use plastic beverage straws, except upon request
  • Single-use plastic beverage splash sticks or stirrers

Food establishments include:

  • Restaurants
  • Cafes
  • Delis
  • Bars
  • Grocery stores
  • Food trucks

Food establishments may continue to provide:

  • Compostable beverage straws, splash sticks, and stirrers that are not made of plastic
  • Beverage straws that are made of compostable plastics (upon request only)

In addition, establishments must:

  • Maintain a sufficient supply of single-use plastic beverage straws that are not compostable and provide these for free to any person who requests one
  • Display a sign at self-serve stations that states: “Plastic straws available upon request.” 

Learn more about the rules.

Food service establishments with self-serve stations must display a sign at each station that states: “Plastic straws available upon request.”

These signs must be:

  • Completely unobstructed
  • At least two inches by seven inches
  • Written in no less than 20-point font

Download a sample sign.

The plastic straw rules do not apply to:

  • Items that are packaged in bulk by a manufacturer and offered for retail sale
  • Beverage straws attached to individual containers by the manufacturer, such as juice boxes

Enforcement of the plastic straw rules began on November 1, 2022. Establishments violating the rules will receive fines for each Notice of Violation issued within a 12-month period.

Affected establishments should be prepared to receive inspectors, at least annually as part of routine inspections or 311 complaints, from one or more of the following agencies:

  • NYC Department of Sanitation
  • NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  • NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection

Discrimination

Failing to provide a single-use plastic beverage straw that is not compostable to any person who requests one may also violate the City’s reasonable accommodations law. This is subject to enforcement by the NYC Commission on Human Rights.

Learn more about public accommodation discrimination complaints on the Discrimination page.

Report Establishment Violating Rules

Report an establishment:

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