Beginning January 1, 2022, food-serving entities, such as restaurants, schools, hospitals, religious institutions, and nonprofits, shall not distribute disposable straws, utensils, napkins, and other accessory foodware unless these items are specifically requested by the customer or provided at a self-serve station. These new requirements are meant to reduce plastic waste, which is a leading cause of pollution in the District’s rivers and streams.

If you are unsure of how or whether the new requirement applies to your organization, please visit doee.dc.gov/service/utensils or reach out to Kyaira Ware at (202) 815-4112 or Kyaira.Ware@DC.gov.

A grant program will be available in spring 2022 to help food-serving businesses and organizations transition to reusable food ware. Please check doee.dc.gov/disposables or email Sonia.Saini@DC.gov for program updates and application information.