This is the Last Straw (literally)

Plastic straws (image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

I’m sure you’re all aware of the most recent environmental movement: elimination of single-use plastic straws. From Starbucks to McDonald’s, major companies around the world are pledging to ditch plastic straws. Although they are small, their effects are mighty. Close to 500 million plastic straws are thrown away every day in the United States. Some end up in landfills, but a large number become plastic trash in our oceans. The solution was to introduce “sippy cup” plastic lids and alternative-material straws. This is a huge win for anti-straw advocates, but what are the true environmental effects?

On one side, plastic straws should stay as their ban results in an insignificant decrease of plastic waste in our oceans. According to a recent report by environmental group Better Alternatives Now (BAN), plastic straws comprised only 7% of plastic items found along the California coastline, compared to plastic bags at 9% or plastic bottle caps at 17%. When taken by weight, a report by Jambeck Research Group places plastic straws at only 0.03% of aggregate plastic in the oceans themselves. Majority of plastic waste found in oceans actually comes from fishing nets.

Plastic waste gathered at a shoreline (Image courtesy of Pixabay)

Furthermore, the BAN report also noted that products labeled as biodegradable or compostable plastics are not, in fact, actually biodegradable in an earth or ocean environment. Companies moving towards biodegradable plastic straws are not having any actual impact on ocean plastics.

Chemical structure of the plastic polymer, polypropylene (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

In support of the plastic straw ban, companies have revealed the benefits to their alternative solutions. Starbucks made it known that their new “sippy cup” lid is made from polypropylene, a commonly-accepted recyclable plastic that can be captured in recycling infrastructure. This was an almost impossible task to accomplish with straws, which are too small and lightweight to be captured.

The lives of marine animals, such as sea turtles, will also be protected by the straw ban. Small plastic straws can easily get lodged in their airways, causing them pain and discomfort, and in extreme cases, death.

An example of how plastic litter affects sea turtles (Image courtesy of Flickr)

Both sides of the plastic straw ban have valid arguments. Although only a small one, I believe it is a step in the right direction. This movement will hopefully be the gateway to banning more plastics which will hopefully lead us to a future of plastic-free oceans and landfills. So, are you pro-straw?