Why the end of straws is actually the beginning
Straws are older than we think. In the 19th century we used to use natural tube-shaped materials like rye grass, or more commonly, straw. It wasn’t until 50 years ago that plastic straws gained popularity, and now the movement to ban them entirely is gaining steam. There are many campaigns underway, with names like, The Last Straw, Be Straw Free, and #StopSucking. This cumulative effort is helping gain momentum fast.
Everyday in the United States we use 500 million straws. Although plastic can be recycled, straws are usually too small and lightweight to be categorized by recyclers’ sorting screens and so end up back in the trash. Lots of straws don’t make it that far. They blow out of garbage trucks, get left on the beach, and worst of all wind up in the ocean where marine animals and sea birds can eat them. It is estimated that 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. Obviously, that blame can’t all be placed on straws, but environmentalists are hoping that straws become the poster child for the movement to ban single-use plastics altogether.
“It is estimated that 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs.”
Now companies and municipalities are getting on board. McDonald’s announced this year that it would switch to paper straws in all of their UK locations. In June, they announced plans to test straw alternatives in the US later this year. In addition, many sit-down restaurants are adopting a no straw policy unless customers request one. Malibu, Seattle, Miami Beach and Fort Myers, just to name a few, are cities that have completely banned plastic straws in restaurants.
Starbucks joined this fight in July and said they would be straw free by 2020, which they estimate will remove 1 billion straws from landfills and oceans every year.
The issue with straws isn’t just that they are plastic, it’s that the large majority of the time they are completely unnecessary. People believe that it is more sanitary to use a straw, but the same germs that are on the rim of a glass are in the inside too. Just like water bottles and grocery bags, we are creating unnecessary waste and this mindset needs to change. Straws are low-hanging fruit and are easy for most to eliminate. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a movement that will ban single-use plastic for good.
This movement isn’t embraced by everyone though. People with certain disabilities need straws to drink. Some of the material alternatives, like paper, biodegradable plastics, and silicone, still don’t get the job done like regular plastic does. For example, reusable metal straws conduct heat and cold, which can create safety risks, and they’re hard to clean for people with physical challenges. This creates a new accessibility problem for those with disabilities. Taking the time to think through the impact of bans on those with disabilities might be the difference between life and death. We are all in this together.
