You know those things you use to stir your coffee everyday? Or when you sip on your lemonade at a diner? We often take these for granted and toss them in the garbage when we’re done with them. These things are plastic straws. But what harm can these little, inexpensive things do? Water pollution. Due to excessive plastic use, plastic straws end up in the ocean, where fish can get tangled or eat them and die. When fish die, their predators starve, and their predators starve, and the whole food chain is thrown off balance! But what will happen to these little plastic tubes? Slowly, they are disappearing. Enter the metal and paper straws.
You may think that paper straws might be fishy. Maybe you’re terribly attached to more solid substances- at least for your straws. In this case, the metal portable straw might be your thing. These long, sleek, metallic straws come with their own cleaning brush, and do a lot more than just look pretty. They will serve you well with whatever you want to drink! They don’t leave you with that metalic-y aftertaste. Since they are dishwasher-safe, you don’t have to waste time washing them. Maybe these will be more aesthetically-pleasing than plastic straws.
The UK is already taking action against these plastic enemies. After estimating that they are responsible for 8.5 billion of the straws that go in the ocean each year- which is enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall a thousand times over- they have started to ban plastic straws.
The US hasn’t been as quick to react. It is estimated that in the US alone, people throw away 500 million straws a day! Unlike the UK, places that have plastic straws sitting around are taking their time banning them. Places like Starbucks are planning to have them gone in their cafes by 2020.