Ban on Plastic Straws

Plastic straws are becoming banned due to it not being recycled and ending up in landfills or the ocean. It has been said that if nothing is done to stop the waste being left at places such as the beach, then at some point there will be more trash than fish in the oceans.

In July, Seattle became the first major U.S city to enact a ban of plastic straws and utensils. California soon will be banned from automatically giving customers plastic straws.

Starbucks is a company that is part of the anti-straw movement due to the fact that a lot of their plastic cups and straws are being shown in pictures of trash at the beach. Some Starbucks locations have made the change from using lids where you poke a straw in it to lids where you can drink straight from it needing no straw. In 2019, more companies have agreed to phase out plastic straws.

Some people think that plastic straws should not be banned because it is a useful tool for those with disabilities. Paper straws could be harmful to them as it can break apart in liquids and metal straws can be dangerous for those with the disability of controlling their bite. However, some questioned whether it is an actual burden to them.

There are a lot of local coffee shops and restaurants that are doing everything possible to make the change to switch from plastic to metal straws. It usually takes them about 20 weeks to make the change. It is a slow process but will be worth it in the end! However, you can make a difference by not just changing to metal straws but also using reusable coffee cups instead. Americans throw away 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups every year. So visit your local Target and get yourself a cute reusable coffee cup of your choice to drink your coffee and tea every morning.