By Tania Hassan | Staff Writer
In recent years, concern has mounted over the increasing quantities of single-use plastic items that are becoming part of our everyday lives. One of these items is the plastic drinking straw, billions of which are given out in cafés and restaurants, or as part of takeaway meals, every year. According to the Trash Free Seas Alliance, the average American uses 1.6 straws a day. In the US alone, that’s enough to circle the equator two and a half times. These little pieces of plastic that we use as convenience are a life-threatening danger to marine life and pose a significant environmental threat to our oceans and the world.
The detrimental environmental impact of straws is due to them not being biodegradable and difficult to recycle. This means that once plastic straws go to landfills, small organisms such as insects or bacteria can’t break them down by consuming them. Instead, what happens is that the straws will simply degrade, gradually disintegrating into smaller and smaller particles over a period of up to 200 years. As the plastic degrades, it also exudes harmful chemicals that have been linked to environmental pollution and health problems.
Moreover, plastic straws pollute our oceans and waterways. In fact, scientists predict that if we continue to allow plastic to enter the ocean at the current rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic (by weight) than fish there. Many marine animals even mistake straws and other plastic items for food. In fact, plastic has been found in an estimated 90% of all seabirds and in all sea turtle species.
To counteract the detrimental impact straws have on the environment, you can:
- First, stop using single-use plastic straws and encourage others to do the same. Use alternatives to plastic straws such as stainless steel, paper, bamboo, and glass straws, all of which are becoming widely prevalent alternatives.
- Second, start using the phrase “no straw, please,” when you order drinks. Often these straws are given out without anyone even asking for them, so you may be served one on accident, causing them to inevitably be thrown away – the very circumstance you were hoping to avoid.
- Third, if you live in a coastal area, you can participate in beach cleanups. While single-use plastic straws may not be recyclable, at the very least, you can guarantee that you are making an effort to ensure the straws are disposed of as responsibly as possible.
Finally, the scale of plastic pollution in the oceans is truly staggering. An estimated 8 to 11 million tons of plastic enters the oceans every year — the equivalent of emptying a garbage truck filled with plastic into the oceans every minute. If we all gave up the habit of single-use plastics, the impact would be unimaginable. Say no to the straw, and help change the future of our oceans.