Mystic -- Mystic Seaport Museum, in conjunction with its food-service partners Coastal Gourmet and Event Network, has announced that it has taken a number of steps to decrease the use of single-use plastic products on its campus.

The museum is now using paper shopping bags instead of plastic as well as plant-based straws and pasta stir sticks, nautical-themed reusable shopping bags made from 100-percent recycled plastic water bottles are available for purchase, plastic lids and straws are available upon request only, to-go containers and serving ware have been switched to paper rather than plastic or foam and catered events are using wooden utensils, and plant-based cups, or rented china, glasses, and cutlery.

The museum added that going forward, it will continue “to investigate ways to reduce single-use plastic consumption, while keeping in mind that alternatives used must be ecofriendly, and will focus on making changes across the Museum grounds to enable visitors to reduce plastic consumption and recycle more effectively.”

The steps come as the Town of Stonington finalizes an ordinance to ban single use plastic bags and plastic straws to send to voters.

The Seaport's program was developed in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. The two museums are scheduled to give a joint presentation on the program at next month’s 2019 Council of American Maritime Museums Annual Conference in Manitowoc, Wisc.

“Both of our museums are situated on estuaries, which brings with it the responsibility to be stewards of the water and shoreline that provide so much for our institutions,” said museum president Steve White.