WHERE IS MY STRAW?

Harming the Wildlife, It is where I’ll be.

You tossed me once; I’ll stay here forever.

I plea to you, Never do this ever.

-Your Plastic Straw

Your straw may travel farther than you ever have.

A Straw is a long thin hollow tube used for slurping up liquids. Polypropylene is the material used to make plastic straws, and it usually takes 200 years to breakdown into microplastics. It is harmful to marine life since it never biodegrades completely.

HISTORY OF STRAW

· Sumerians made the first straws for drinking beer to avoid solid byproducts of fermentation settled at the bottom.

· The gold tube inlaid, with the precious blue stone lapis lazuli was the oldest straw in existence found in the Sumerian tomb dated 3000 BCE.

· Argentines, neighbours of Sumerians used a similar metallic device called bombilla that acted as straw and sieve.

· The ryegrass straw came into fashion in the 1800s as it was inexpensive but, it tended to turn mushy when put in liquid.

· Marvin C. Stone, an American patented the modern drinking straw made of paper in 1888 to address the shortcomings of rye straw.

· After World War II, plastic straw became widespread since the materials used to manufacture was economical and were affordable and hence, were popular in restaurants.

DID YOU KNOW?

A milkshake experience is incomplete without slurping the last bit through a straw, it might seem harmless, but it is one of the harmful culprits damaging the environment. Plastic straws thrown away after one-use consequently ends up in the landfills and oceans.

According to Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup, the plastic straw is one of the top 10 items found in Ocean.

Hope you now know the adverse effect it causes to the environment.

WHAT NEXT?

Due to the unending issues faced by climate changes, the world is now struggling to recover from plastic pollution. The government is imposing bans on plastic and, the manufacturers of plastic products are under pressure to use alternatives.

Then what is stopping us from switching from plastic straws to an alternative bamboo or metal straw? The answer is the cost.

When analyzing the cost, putting a price to the marine environment is not possible. Let us probe our minds to evaluate what is more important, cost or extinction of species? By saying NO to plastic straws and choosing reusable bamboo and metal straws, we lessen the impact on our environment and health.

CONCLUSION

Reversing climate change is not possible, nonetheless, let us contribute our bit to the environment by changing our habits and lifestyle. Switching to reusable and durable products will help in saving the ecosystem from the damages caused by the disposables.

Eco Tip- Initially start giving up plastic straws and gradually eliminate other single-use plastics out of your lifestyle.

Look for greener alternatives here.