Leading West End theatre group acts to scrap plastic

One of the West End’s leading theatre groups has stopped handing out plastic straws in its bars in the latest victory for the Evening Standard’s campaign.

The Nimax theatre group, which runs the Apollo, Duchess, Garrick, Lyric, Palace and Vaudeville theatres, made the move after an appeal from Westminster council leader Nickie Aiken.

Nimax chief executive Nica Burns said: “We have stopped using plastic straws and are researching alternatives to our use of plastic elsewhere. Thank you to the Standard and Westminster council for their leadership. If we all work together we should be able to collectively reduce our plastic usage significantly to help our environment.”

Restaurateur Russell Norman said his venues operating under the Polpo, Spuntino and Polpetto names had switched to biodegradable straws.

Ms Aiken has written to thousands of operators of bars, pubs, clubs and theatres urging them to stop using plastic straws.

She said: “The Last Straw campaign is inspiring everyone to think about the plastic they use and reduce their plastic waste.

“I’m trying to give up single-use plastic at the moment. It can be harder than you think. Whether it’s straws, bottles or coffee cups, we live in a city addicted to plastic but small changes help make a big difference.”@JonPrynn