Plastic bags, straws and cutlery are being phased out at concessions in Pennsylvania state parks. As contracts with food providers are renewed, they are being rewritten to force the replacement of the plastic items with compostable, paper, wooden or plant fiber alternatives. Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the change is designed to reduce the use of plastics and the amount of waste generated by food concessions in the parks.
New contract language also will require food providers to minimize the use of paper straws and disposable utensils. And when onsite composting is available at a state park, they will be required to work with DCNR to convert as many of their food service products to compostable, paper-based forest product alternatives and then compost them with the food waste.
“As the state’s conservation leader, DCNR strives to model practices that conserve and sustain our natural resources, and we are now extending that to the concessions that provide snacks at our state parks,” Dunn said. “This step will help to reduce the emissions generated through plastic production and eliminate the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.”