Single-Use, Plastic Straws.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 68-32
in effect68-32. Single-Use, Plastic Straws.
1. PROHIBITED. Effective April 14, 2020, no food establishment may provide any customer with a single-use, plastic straw, where “single-use” means a product that is designed and intended to be used only once and is generally recognized by the public as an item that is to be discarded after one use.
2. EXEMPTIONS. Subsection 1 shall not prohibit:
a. Prepackaged individual serving beverages where a small plastic straw is included in the packaging.
b. The provision of a plastic beverage straw to a customer upon request of a plastic beverage straw by the customer.
c. The provision of a plastic beverage straw to a customer receiving a viscous beverage, such as a milkshake or smoothie, that requires a large, durable straw, for which a non-plastic straw would not be suitable.
d. The provision of any other approved compostable straw as determined by the environmental sustainability director. The environmental sustainability director shall maintain a list of acceptable compostable straws.
Source: City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau, Milwaukee City Charter and Code of Ordinances (city.milwaukee.gov master PDFs)URL: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccClerk/Ordinances/Volume-1/CH68.pdf#page=13Fetched: 10/26/2026