The Problem with Plastic Straws
Back in the 1960s, plastic straws started to replace paper straws, changing straws from a renewable source to an oil-based single use product.
Every plastic straw created since still exists today.
-
Plastic straws are a major source of plastic waste, particularly as they can easily end up in waterways and oceans. They don't biodegrade and can break down into microplastics often harming marine life and potentially entering the food chain.
-
Paper straws are sometimes proposed as an alternative, but they can have their own environmental issues, such as the use of PFAS chemicals and sometimes being wrapped in plastic.
-
Some cities and states have banned or restricted plastic straws, with some requiring businesses to only offer them upon request.
-
There have been shifts in federal policy regarding plastic straws, with some administrations aiming to reduce their use in government agencies and others opting to remove such restrictions.
-
Public opinion is generally in favor of reducing plastic straw use with many people choosing to avoid them or asking for no straw with their beverage.
-
Some major companies have stopped using plastic straws altogether, and others have transitioned to compostable alternatives.
What is the problem with plastic straws?
Most plastics don't decompose or biodegrade when they decompose.
They can stay in landfills for hundreds of years - and plastic in the ocean floats around as small pieces (called microplastics) that can poison marine life and hurt the environment.
Plastic straws are small but they are part of a huge problem. When did it become such a way of life that seemingly no one could drink anything without having to use a plastic straw to suck it up?Â
Humans have created about 9.1 billion tons of plastic since inventing the material and most of it is never recycled. Although straws probably make up a very small percentage of our trash worldwide, they have been hitting the headlines because of how difficult they are to recycle.
Why can't we just recycle plastic straws?
Recycling is very important: It keeps many of our plastic objects from spending hundreds of years causing trouble. Unfortunately, your straws always end up in a landfill.
This is because plastic straws and other items smaller than two by two inches (including plastic cutlery) fall through the machinery that sorts out recycling - ending up in landfill.
Of course banning plastic straws is just the tip of the iceberg
But it is a start with the "straw wars" and the consumers behind them able to shift businesses into changing their tactics. One example is the rapidity which which groups such as Starbucks have been forced to act.
Another good thing following the greater awareness of the dangers of plastic is that investors (who are affiliated with environmental, social and governance movements) are becoming more vocal in calling for a plastics rethink.
Also very encouraging is that chemical giants are intensifying their hunt for non-plastic alternatives.
And it is not just the giants, many young and innovative entrepreneurs are jumping on the bandwagon too.
They should be encouraged and supported.
In the meantime, if you must have a straw, suck it up and please make sure it is not plastic.
Remember, there are always other ways to drink your beverage.
Â
SOURCES:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20231103-plastic-or-paper-the-truth-about-drinking-straws
Â
Â
Â
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.
Browse
Share
