Suffolk County's single-use plastics policy and statewide hospitality rules direct food service establishments to provide plastic utensils, napkins, and condiment packets only on customer request, reducing waste at the source.
Building on the Skip the Straw law, Suffolk County food service guidance and emerging state policy direct restaurants, delis, and food trucks to default to no plastic utensils unless customers ask. The intent is to reduce plastic waste in the Long Island Sound and Atlantic shoreline. Online and app-based ordering platforms operating in Suffolk are encouraged to default the utensils option to off. Compostable or wooden alternatives are commonly substituted. Establishments that automatically include plastic forks, knives, spoons, or condiment packets in bagged orders can be cited under county and town single-use plastics enforcement following warnings. SCDHS coordinates outreach with town code offices.
Automatically including plastic utensils, napkins, or condiment packets in takeout orders without a request may result in warnings and graduated fines under county and town enforcement.
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See how Suffolk County's utensils-on-request rules stack up against other locations.
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