One-use plastic straws now have a relatively short shelf life in Port Townsend.

The Port Townsend City Council gave its unanimous and final approval to a ban on one-use disposable plastic straws and coffee stirrers at its meeting Monday.

The approval came passed without fuss; there was no public comment before the vote and scant discussion from councilmembers before their collective thumbs-up during this week's virtual council business meeting.

The ban starts Jan. 1, 2021. It extends beyond Port Townsend’s fast-food restaurants and includes coffee stands and other food service-based businesses.

Grocery stores and the hospital are exempt.

The proposal earned its initial approval at the council's July 6 meeting. The idea was championed by Students for Sustainability, a club at Port Townsend High School, which began a petition in June 2019 calling for a plastic straw ban. The students worked with city officials earlier this year to help write the ordinance that was adopted by the council.

The prohibition includes plastic straws that are commercially compostable. After the ban takes place, if customers ask for a straw, the city's proposed rules say the business will give them a paper, biodegradable, or reusable straw.

Violations of the ban can result in a $100 penalty; a second offense within two years carries a fine of $250.