Your Reusable Straw Isn’t Doing Sh*t
Unfortunately, we’re going to have to do a lot more than replacing our straws.
Most of us have seen the video — the one of a straw being pulled out of a turtle’s nostrils. There’s no doubt that it’s heartbreaking to see the blood spill out of its nose, watching it close its eyes in unimaginable pain.
The culprit behind this? Plastic straws. Ever since the video took social media by storm, people have been racing to get rid of the environmental horror that is plastic straws, joining the collective effort to save the turtles. The thing is, from what I’ve seen, that’s the only thing people have been doing.
This world isn’t the best at waste prevention. There’s still plenty of plastic packaging out there that we don’t bother to recycle because the recycling bin two feet away is (insert sigh) too far. According to National Geographic, 91 percent of plastic isn’t recycled. Plus, taking food and waste outside of the compostable packaging we do have is just too much effort. And do we know how to recycle metal straws in case we can’t use them anymore?
I constantly get my ear talked off by people whenever they get boba or some other drink and have to use a straw and plastic cup. They froth at the mouth and screech that metal straws are a must to stay eco-friendly, never mind the fact that they aren’t exactly the best solution for sustainability and that someone literally impaled herself with one. They flex their metal straws on Instagram in cute snapshots of them sipping their adorable smoothies, juices loaded with kale or the typical cup of iced coffee. They go on Twitter and preach to no end about why you need to help save the turtles, starting by ridding the world of these straws. But I’ve noticed that they don’t talk about the other ways they stay eco-friendly, still don’t understand where most of the plastic in the ocean comes from, and ignore an entire subset of people who depend on straws for survival.
Well, here’s a news flash — if you’re just replacing your straw in favor of a metal stick, you’re honestly not doing shit. Straws and turtles are only just the tip of the iceberg. Other things are ruining the ocean besides an 8-inch plastic rod that we use to suck liquids into our mouths, in case that wasn’t already clear, and fighting to ban them is plain insensitive to disabled folks. There needs to be more critical thinking on how we’re damaging our environment in a way that goes way beyond just plastic straws. And one of the things we need to realize is how much of the blame is actually on us.
I do know that a good portion of the responsibility for the state our environment is in falls on the corporations, and I’m convinced that the rhetoric that places the blame on us, the everyday consumer, is all a ploy to distract from their practices. I’m not saying that because I’m a socialist hippie; is it so bad I care about the environment and hate the companies that ruin it?
For one thing, modern fishing practices disturb sea creatures, to the point that some species are on the brink of extinction. Straws likely make up less than one percent of the plastic in the ocean, but about 46 percent of it is made up of one thing — fishing nets. Abandoned nets set adrift in the ocean are called ghost nets, and these nets can strangle more than just turtles. Hell, not too long ago, Forbes reported that Coca-Cola, you know, a corporation, is the world’s largest plastic polluter. Are we at all surprised?
On top of that, overfishing is a massive problem throughout all of the world’s oceans, and that itself is a massive domino effect. Overfishing is when a species is taken too quickly out of an area for fishing, faster than the animals can mate and procreate. When a certain species get overfished, that disturbs the food chain, which then disturbs the biodiversity of an ecosystem. Lots of science terms, I know, but stay with me here.
If you love eating clams and oysters, I have some more bad news for you: carbon dioxide levels in the ocean, which get absorbed from the air, have been making the environment much more acidic than living things can handle, especially shellfish. The acidity of the environment prevents them from developing their shells all of the way because it interferes with calcium carbonate, the main component of their shells. More science, I know! I’m getting to my point.
Despite these findings, which have lacked a lot of attention, plenty of people stay keyboard warriors and continuously turn the narrative towards plastic straws and general plastic usage. Whether they’re turning a blind eye towards this because they just want to look “woke” in front of friends or they just plain don’t know, it’s still causing real harm to the environment. Keep in mind that this isn’t just a problem for the turtles then; it’s something that will hurt all ocean creatures and the rest of the world if nothing else is done.
Is banning plastic straws a start? I suppose. Is it going to fix much? Not really. Unless companies change their practices, (which let’s be real, they won’t) the same problems are going to continue — we’re still going to see turtles choke miserably, and we’re going to see many more animals suffer the same fate.
And another species that’s going to suffer? Humans. More specifically, disabled humans.
People who live with disabilities that affect motor skills have a hard time drinking anything without a straw. And the rhetoric that makes businesses ban all plastic straws is considered incredibly ableist — mostly because it leaves one group out of the conversation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018, around 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have a disability. That accounts for around 61 million Americans.
Now imagine those 61 million Americans are gathered in one auditorium (impossible, but just keep imagining it for the sake of this) and ask yourself if you’d tell all of them to quit using something — something that makes their lives just a bit easier to live. Something that isn’t doing as much harm as social media users think it does.
One Twitter user said their waiter asked them this question
Do you think they deserve to have that guilt trip? For something they can’t control?
s.e. smith, a disabled reporter, wrote on Vox about why a plastic straw ban just isn’t viable for disabled people. And they got a little bleak.
“Nondisabled people ask what we did before straws existed, and I have harsh news for them: We died.”
“But wait, why plastic straws?” you might ask. “There’s plenty of reusable options in the market!”
You’re right. There are. Paper straws are biodegradable and can come in cute, fun patterns! But they’re also prone to breaking down in liquid because…well, it’s paper. Not exactly a viable solution for someone who needs to drink slowly. Metal, bamboo, and silicone straws can be pricey, and for a population who are twice as likely to be in poverty and more likely to be unemployed, that’s a little difficult to get. These straws can also be choking hazards and hard to clean.
This chart has been making rounds on social media to show why most alternative straw options aren’t useful for disabled people
Also, again, someone stabbed herself in the eye with a metal straw. So it’s clear that it’s just a little hard (actually, scratch that, it’s dangerous) for a disabled person to use one.
Emily Ladau criticizes the New York Times for their article about this issue
So yes, there are other options! They just don’t work.
So what can you do, then? What can lil old me do, if the problem isn’t really in straws?
There’s one obvious answer: vote. Figure out where candidates stand on fixing environmental issues, and figure out if they even care about it. Go to your representatives to demand more, and ignore the fact that you’re a little scared; they represent you and should know the issues you want to be resolved.
But you don’t like regulations on companies because -gasp- socialism?
Fuck that. Letting people demonize others who can’t control their situation isn’t fixing anything, and letting the corporations that contribute the most to the deaths of countless ocean creatures sure as hell will not either.
If by the end of this, you’re still apathetic and don’t want anything to do with politics, if you’re still pushing a ban-all-plastic-straws narrative, if you still just don’t care about anything other than turtles and straws, I’m convinced that you’re not really trying to save turtles; you just want to look good in front of others, others who have the gall to still drink their iced coffee with a plastic straw. I’m genuinely convinced you’re pushing this narrative just to feel superior. And by doing so (bear with me here, this will be hard to swallow even without a straw), I’m convinced that the things you’re really trying to help aren’t turtles, seals, fish, or really anything else in the ocean and the environment — I’m convinced you just want to help yourself.
