Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall joins Final Straw Cornwall campaign and bans plastic straws

A Cornish restaurant owned by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has pledged to stop using plastic straws in a bid to protect marine life.

As part of the Final Straw Cornwall campaign, Fifteen Cornwall has joined other local businesses and banned single-use plastic straws across its operations.

The restaurant is based at popular holiday spot Watergate Bay and enjoys an unspoilt beach front view. Matthew Thompson, CEO of Fifteen Cornwall, explained,

“We love our location on the beach at Watergate Bay and we care deeply about protecting our beautiful environment and the wildlife that lives in and around our shores.

Sustainability has always been an important part of our ethos. We aim to do whatever we can to minimise our impact on the environment, reduce waste and ensure that we maintain the beauty of the bay and surrounding area for generations to come.”

The Final Straw Cornwall campaign plans to make The Duchy the first plastic straw-free county in the UK.

Fifteen Cornwall has replaced all plastic straws with biodegradable paper straws and the bar team now have reusable, washable metal straws in order to taste and perfect the delicious cocktails they create.

“We are really proud to join the the Final Straw Cornwall campaign,”

Mr Thompson added.

“We hope that many other businesses make this small change to raise awareness, protect and preserve our environment and the wildlife which lives in and around our shores, to ensure that it continues to thrive in the years to come.”

Around 8.5 billion straws are used in the UK every year, each taking hundreds of years to decompose and often ending up in seas and on our beaches. The Final Straw Cornwall initiative is aiming to prevent further plastic pollution in the county.

One of the campaign’s co-founders James Neale said,

“It’s so exciting to see every kind of business joining the campaign; from wonderful new businesses such as The Hub Portreath to influential brands with energy and vision such as Fifteen Cornwall. Every straw on the planet right now will outlive everyone reading these words - but Cornwall is where that stops.”