After three years of working with a coalition of local organizations, we are celebrating the passage of the “Skip the Stuff” bill in NYC, by a vote of 43-7 on January 19. The Mayor signed the bill on February 1.
The bill seeks to change the expectations of takeout and delivery food customers. Instead of expecting to receive extra items like napkins, utensils, and condiments, under Skip the Stuff, customers will expect to not receive those items unless they specifically request them.
This will save restaurants money, as nationally, restaurants spend about $20 billion per year on such items. It also includes protections for restaurants using third-party food delivery providers, warnings for first-time violations, and education requirements to inform businesses and consumers about the new rules. For these reasons, the largest restaurant association in the city, the NYC Hospitality Alliance, supported the bill.
Thank you to all of our volunteers and friends for your continual hard work over the past 3 years!!
Read the rest of this blog entry on the Surfrider HQ blog here.
At the Skip the Stuff hearing in December
