No Straw Please!

It is in our human nature to want to live comfortably and have all the necessities in our every life, and sometimes it is an unhealthy habit that we tend to overlook - that is using plastic straws. 

Each day, humans produce and utilize 500,000,00 straws…

Plastic straws are one of the worst form of plastic because they are discarded to the landfill after one single use and end up in our oceans forever. Hence, plastic straws were ranked as the number five most popular item to be picked up on beach clean ups and in the last 25 years, over 6 million straws were removed from beaches during annual clean ups.

Plastic products are considered to be the most detrimental man-made item in our environment. Like other plastics, straws never biodegrade and take hundreds of years to break down. In the mean time, they are often left to float on the surface of the oceans and are consumed by innocent living creatures. 

Because straws consist of the petroleum bi-product polypropylene, which is what fuels our cars, they do not easily degrade. According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, “Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists, including the small amount that has been incinerated and has become toxic particulate matter.”

Straws can also kill marine life. Over 1,000,000 seabirds become victims of human’s straw consumption every year from swallowing and dying because of straws blocking their airway. In the North Pacific, about 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastics end up in the digestive systems of fish.


We should save the marine life and our planet by eliminating single-use plastic straws at home and in restaurants, or opt for environmentally friendly and reusable straws that are made out of bamboo, glass, metal, and even plant-based materials. If you are given a curious expression from people in bars or restaurants, this is a great chance to start a conversation with them who might not be aware of how detrimental straws can get, “they could end up in a turtle’s throat!” 

Sources:

Comments

  1. I am grateful to get this article.

    A Plastic straw (プラスチックストロー ) is a harmful straw for the environment. Try Ecolo straw.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Let your knowledge, ideas, and innovation be heard. Tell us what you think and know about this topic.