Our objective is to remove the use of single use straws from campus. The negative environmental impact that they contribute to is shocking, releasing toxins into a delicate marine ecosystem. The fact they are not biodegradable means they never completely disappear from the environment, continuing to exist as small plastic particles, polluting the ocean. Plastic pollution impacts around 700 marine species and is thought to kill around 1 million marine mammals annually.

We plan to take this petition with a goal of just 50 signatures to the student union as an incentive to implement change on campus. Our focal point is The Deep End as this is the main student hub and we consider our aim to be extremely feasible, promoting just a small yet effective change. As there are plenty of alternatives now widely available, we believe there is no excuse not to promote the reduction of plastic usage by refusing to provide straws.