Oct 2018: Hoopla about the Plastic Straw

Welcome to the first post of this blog! I appreciate your audienceship.

This month's topic is the plastic straw, a highly publicized issue that has been raised by environmental groups across the country due to its threat to marine wildlife. Many of you may have seeing the heart-wrenching video of a suffering sea turtle (like this video here), have seen anti-straw propaganda on Facebook, or have even heard of California's new law signed by Governor Brown in September that will prevent restaurants from automatically handing out plastic straws to customers (going into effect Jan. 2019). All of these messages have important merit and are worth addressing.

From the Plastic Pollution Coalition

Because plastic has a long shelf-life by design, it doesn't break down very easily. Even so-called "compostable plastics", which usually claim to be made from corn or some other biological source, are very limited in their ability to break down because they require large-scale commercial composting facilities (and sometimes don't decompose there, either). Given this long-lived quality, plastic has become a critical staple in the life of a modern millennial/person. However, its ability to persist in all sorts of environments has become an unfortunate curse. What makes plastic such a problem in marine environments, specifically, is that plastic can't simply be buried by dirt or soil, and the ocean is one continuous environment, constantly swirling its floating contents to new areas. This mobility can be hazardous as it approaches marine organisms both large and small, and for some organisms such as the benevolent sea turtle, it can eventually mean death (or unnecessary pain). This is especially problematic because straws are small and lightweight to begin with, increasing their chances of being swept around.

From Vox.com

The sudden hoopla that arose around the plastic straw was surprising but extremely monumental in raising society's awareness of environmental issues, and more specifically, the negative impacts of plastic. There are innumerable examples where plastic has begun to affect our natural systems (and human health), but I have chosen the plastic straw and marine systems as the first topic of this blog to celebrate society's growing awareness of consumer choices and the negative consequences of plastic. This blog will continue to discuss ways that plastic is negatively affecting our world, and will offer one solution per post to provide a feasible, realistic way that you can reduce your plastic use and become a more sustainable individual. Reducing plastic from our lives can improve our health and our world (and even sometimes our wallet) in SO many ways, and I encourage you to go on this journey with me! :)

To reduce one's impact from plastic straws, I have seen several acquaintances jump to the conclusion that they must remove straws from their live altogether. Starbucks itself seems to be jumping in that direction, and while the intentions are good, I don't think that is necessarily the best way to reduce impact. If you look at the new lid, there is a bigger lip formed on the cup so the consumer can sip their drink rather than use a straw. While this may remove the need for a straw, it may not necessarily reduce the total amount of plastic used to make the Starbucks cup. While I can't be completely certain, I can't help but wonder if the enlarged lid contains just enough additional plastic to make up for the plastic we removed with the straw? The point is, reducing your overall AMOUNT of plastic is a GREATER impact than switching the type of plastic you use. While Starbucks is making a change, it's still utilizing the same plastic cups to serve millions of people every single day.

Point aside, one doesn't need to utterly remove straws to cut their impact. Instead, a reusable straw is a simple way to reduce the plastic waste you create while allowing you to enjoy a nice drink via straw. Below are three great examples (from Amazon, for example) that you can buy and utilize for a long time, saving you $$$ over time and reducing your trash can volume immediately!

---Reusable metal straws with cleaning brush: $3.99 for 8

---Reusable silicone straws with cleaning brush: $7.95 for 8

---Reusable metal foldable straw with sanitary carrying case (attaches to keychain!): $16.71 for one with case

Most reusable straws come with a cleaning brush, which you can use with just warm water or a little dish soap to clean the inside of the straw easily. Additionally, most of these options come in small-width and large-width sizes, so if you're a fan of Boba for example, you can still enjoy your drink! PRO TIP: make sure to actually bring your straw with you when you head to Starbucks (or your local coffee shop)! I usually wrap mine in a paper towel or reusable food container to keep it sanitary until I use it. I also sometimes store an extra one in the back seat pocket of my car, so if I buy a drink while out driving, I'll have my straw ready to go!

Let's enjoy our drinks without creating unnecessary waste. Whether or not it may eventually reach the ocean, we don't need any more flimsy plastic tubes filling up our landfills, either! :)

#notoplasticstraws #beatplasticpollution #environmentallyfriendly #marinewildlife