A CRICCIETH restaurant has introduced a straw-free policy in a bid to help clean up the coast.

Dylan’s recently signed up to the Llyn Marine Ecosystems Project’s Last Straw Campaign and plastic straws have now been eradicated from all three of their north Wales restaurants.

It is estimated that over 70 million plastic straws go to landfill or end up in the ocean every year, causing huge damage to the marine environment and threatening sea life.

A major source of non-biodegradeble­ waste, straws are one of the top 10 plastic items polluting sea water worldwide.

Dylan’s is among an increasing number of restaurant businesses joining the global campaign to stop the use of plastic straws.

The director of Dylan’s, Robin Hodgson, said: “We believe very strongly in supporting our local fisheries and protecting our coastal environment, and Dylan’s staff regularly support local community beach clean-ups. Therefore we have seen first-hand the huge amount of plastic, including straws, that is washed up on our beautiful beaches.

“We recently adopted north Wales’ first #2MinuteCleanUp board outside Dylan’s Criccieth, encouraging customers and staff to take just two minutes out of their day to pick up litter from the beach.

“Getting rid of unnecessary plastic from our restaurants is another simple step we can take to help prevent this harmful pollutant from getting into the sea."

Gwynedd Council’s Llyn Marine Ecosystems Project is working with Criccieth Town Council, local volunteers and businesses – including Dylan’s – to try and make Criccieth one of the first towns in Wales to become completely straw-free.

Read the full story in this Thursday’s north editions of the Cambrian News