Small straw, big problem - the sense of using straws for drinks

Plastics are everywhere today. And literally. Plastic elements lay in landfills, drift in oceans, get into drinking water and crops, and even to marine organisms that swallow microplastics getting into the ocean. We certainly need to reduce the consumption of plastics. If we don't do this, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish! Where to start? What kind of plastic items can we eliminate in our first place without too much sacrifice? Among the mass of plastic we produce, one seems unnecessary - a plastic straw.

If you think about the sense of straw use, it is difficult to find an argument for which we must drink through it (of course, if we are not a child who can not use a regular cup, a disabled or older person). The whole sense of using a straw comes down to a moment of relaxation, slowly enjoying a drink and sipping your free time. Most of us cannot imagine that glass with a palm (usually plastic incidentally), which we enjoy on a beach covered with turquoise waters, would not include straw. After all, it is our symbol of freedom and free time! It belongs to us and cannot be bad.

With the same ease as a waiter - usually without our request - adds a straw to the drink mentioned above or ice shake at a popular fast food restaurant; we nonchalantly throw it away after consuming the drink. After all, this is just a straw, what can it do wrong? Well, maybe...

Unfortunately, what we get rid of with such ease is a problem for nature for hundreds of years. Although plastic straws, according to estimates, represent only 0.03% of all plastic waste landing in seas and oceans, we must be aware of the scale we are talking about. The total number of plastic packages that reach the ocean every year is 8 million tons!

It is estimated that around 500 million straws are used daily in the US! In Poland, this number reaches 3 million! In terms of their use, we are in the 5th place in the EU, after such consumer powers as Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy.

The entire European Union (Statista estimates based on straw consumption in McDonald's networks in the UK) consumes about 23.5 billion a year!

How many of them are there on a global scale? Since it is difficult for scientists to estimate their number in highly developed countries, let alone Africa, Asia or South America. Whatever the real numbers are, the scale is unimaginable. Up to 8.3 billion of them can be found on the world's coasts alone. It is enough to walk on any beach to collect an extensive collection on a small stretch. In 2018, plastic straws were the seventh most collected trash on the world's beaches.

If straws are a fraction of plastic, why fight with them?

Of course, there may be many answers to this question. Straws withdrawal from circulation can be a good image movement, which is not always followed only by soliciting the planet, but also by the desire to stop or attract new consumers. However, it is worth remembering that, regardless of the original premises behind getting rid of them, whatever they are, eliminating plastic straws will do a lot of good for our planet. Why? At least because of the following reasons.

First of all - the straws are small, their size and shape make them easily float on the water or bury in the sand on the beach. Unless the animal swallows a rather large, plastic bottle, the straw can arouse his curiosity and be inadvertently consumed. In 2015, the internet circulated a video in which a group of marine biologists pulls out a plastic straw that is stuck in the nostril of a sea turtle. There is probably no person that wouldn't be moved by the image.

Secondly - if the straw goes to recycling, there is no certainty that it will be processed. The unusual shape of the straws means that some companies refuse to accept them, justifying that they stick to recycling machines.

Thirdly - Straws are incredibly susceptible to decay. They need at least 200 years to disappear from the planet. Something we use for 30 minutes will be in this world for another two centuries, during which it breaks down into a microplastic that enters the air, water and soil.

Fourthly - if for some reason the fate of the Earth and sea animals is indifferent to us, then let's consider our health. Some of the straws contain polypropylene and BPA, commonly known as Bisphenol A, a harmful compound that can lead to numerous changes in the body. Infants and young children who are not able to excrete this toxin from the body are the most exposed to it. Paradoxically, it is common we give little ones drinks with a straw.

What alternatives do we have to plastic straws?

As the name suggests, the straw, whose history probably dates back to the ancient Sumerians, was originally made of natural materials. Only our civilization use plastic to make straws. History, however, comes full circle today and more and more often you can see reusable straws made of more nature-friendly materials on the market. Of course, it would be best to eliminate them from our everyday lives completely, but since we need to use straws for drinks, let's consider a few alternatives below.

Paper or starch straws
Although not very durable, they certainly have a great advantage over the rest of the straws made of other materials. They only need 45-90 days to set up.

Bamboo straws
They are 100% biodegradable but have a fairly noticeable taste when drinking and specific texture. Due to washing difficulties, they are not suitable for such frequent use as other substitutes.

Glass straws
Usually made of durable borosilicate glass, they are dishwasher safe and reusable. They have no smell and taste and at the same time have more excellent insulation than steel, so they will not burn us when we drink a warm drink.

Metal straws
Made of stainless materials, often sold in a packet of several pieces, properly cleaned (usually we also get an exclusive cleaning rod included) can serve us for many years. They are also available in a foldable version, with a special container that you can always have with you. If we decide on them, let's consider what the plastic container is made of, where the straw is stored. Some point to their flaw as a metallic aftertaste and stiffness that can disturb people with softer teeth.