#StopSucking: The Real Impact of Single-Use Straws

Sarah Wiik

Your Holy Grounds Smart Water is killing the planet. But, more importantly, the plastic straw in your coffee is doing it, too.

Starbuck’s new recyclable strawless lid

Image via starbucks.com

This year, there has been a new focus on eliminating the use of plastic straws. Companies such as Alaska Airlines, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Starbucks are claiming to abandon plastic straws in the upcoming months and year. If you haven’t heard or seen about it, even Tom Brady posted his decision to stop using plastic straws via Instagram.

I stopped using plastic straws over this summer because my older brother showed me his new, trendy, metal straws. I learned about the impact they can have on the environment, particularly on marine life, so I bought a set of metal straws for myself. I have never had an inconvenience using them in my coffees instead of plastic ones. It was an easy switch to make and one that I hope is having an impact on the environment, and on other people.

Why are straws so bad?

Everyone knows that straws get negative reactions now, but what caused this new mentality? In 2015, a video surfaced of scientists removing a plastic straw from the nostril of a sea turtle. It went viral and has since caused the movement towards elimination of these single-use plastics.

Straws are made of relatively thin material which causes many difficulties in most recycling facilities - if they even make it there. Straws break down into smaller plastic particles known as microplastics very quickly. These microplastics are extremely dangerous to marine life in particular. Since they are not biodegradable, the straws could take hundreds of years to break down. According to EcoCycle, “roughly 500 million disposable straws are used by Americans daily.” Plastic straws have recently made the ‘top ten’ list for items found on beach cleanups.

However, the new alternative paper straws are not that much better than plastic. Paper straws need to be composted in a facility and most never find their way past a landfill. Neither plastic nor paper straws are accepted by most recycling facilities. Our plastic pollution has been an epidemic for many years now, but one study claims that seaborn plastic trash will outweigh fish by 2050. For some people with disabilities, straws are essential to everyday life; but that is not the case for the majority of straw-users.

What can you do?

Image via Amazon

Spread awareness! Help to stop the mentality that moving away from single-use straws is a big joke, or that it is not a real issue. This is a big problem and one that can be solved without a lot of effort. The easiest solution is to invest in some glass, metal, or aluminum straws. They are cheap and readily available. Amazon sells a package of eight straw and two straw cleaners for only nine dollars. Some restaurants have become more environmentally conscious and have removed the straws from your drinks, but to be cautious you can ask to hold the straw. This is an easy and important movement to get a part of and I strongly encourage people to #stopsucking.