Bring out the real silverware and glasses and hold the plastic utensils. That’s the theme of a new free guide that an environmental group has put out advising restaurant operators on how they can reduce their use of plastics. “Restaurants, in particular, have a big role to play in addressing our plastic pollution crisis,” said Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator as well as the founder and president of Beyond Plastics, which aims to reduce the amount of fossil fuel-based plastic that goes into the waste stream.

After years of pandemic-driven take-out orders, many consumers whose drawers are overflowing with plastic straws, disposable plastic cutlery, and single-use plastic packets of ketchup, soy sauce, and mustard are clamoring for less plastic with their food. Fortunately, a new guide called “Hold The Plastic, Please - A Restaurant’s Guide To Reducing Plastic” released today from Beyond Plastics offers restaurants detailed, practical, and inspiring advice for how to reduce the use of plastic in their operations and how to effectively convey those changes to customers, reporters, and the general public.