Swamp Stomp
Volume 18 Issue 29
The banning of plastic straws has been a topic discussed frequently in environmental circles. As of July 1st, this became not just a topic for discussion, but a reality for Seattle, Washington, which is now the largest city in the United States that has banned the use of plastic straws. This may seem like a simple act, but it has had major effects on companies and people around the country, for better and for worse.
The ban on plastic straws may be a major win for the environment. Zoos around the country have been encouraging visitors to say no to straws, and some have even had bans on straws for years. This comes from the realization that plastic straws are a major contributor to the enormous amount of waste that finds its way our oceans. One study found that 8.3 billions of plastic straws have made their way to beaches around the world. Another study found that plastic straws make up 7 percent of America’s total plastic waste. By eliminating plastic straws from the trash we create, we really are doing the environment a great favor. However, this ban is not as simple as it sounds.
Restaurant chains such as Starbucks and McDonalds have promised their customers that plastic straws will no longer exist in their stores in the coming years. While this is great news for the environment, as these stores serve billions of customers, this is terrible news for people with disabilities. Many people have disabilities such that their jaws are not strong enough to drink without a straw, perhaps they cannot lift their heads the right way to drink without a straw, or they have are unable to use their hands to hold a cup in any way. Taking away straws takes away their ability to drink anything at all. Some supporters of banning plastic straws have considered this and suggested that these people may be able to use metal or paper straws instead of plastic straws. While this is a solution for some, others need the flexibility of a plastic straw. Dianne Laurine, a Seattle resident who has cerebral palsy, admits that plastic straws were truly life-changing. Her caretaker, Bill Reeves, states that before plastic straws there were rubber straws and these, “ended up being disgusting, and hard to clean.”
So, what is the solution? Should we ban plastic straws to save the oceans from tons of waste at the expense of a portion of our population? Or should we just ignore this topic altogether in order to reduce the burden on people with disabilities? The key to the solution may be to at least limit their use whenever possible. Banning plastic straws completely may not be the solution, but encouraging those who can, to skip using straws may help. Plastic straws are an easy piece of trash to remove if you are able to drink without one, which is why this movement has become so popular. However, there are many other plastic items that could also be removed from the trash we accumulate. Plastic bottle caps, for instance, account for 17% of America’s plastic trash, 10% more than plastic straws. By skipping drinks that come in plastic bottles, an even greater amount of trash can be reduced. Darby Hoover, a senior resource specialist for the Natural Resources Defense Council, states, “The key is breaking habits. Is something a habit because you truly need it or because you got used to doing it that way?” For some, plastic straws may simply a wasteful habit that can be changed and benefit our environment at the same time.
Sources:
Gibbens, Sarah. “A Brief History of How Plastic Straws Took Over the World.” National Geographic. National Geographic. July 6, 2018. Web. July 11, 2018.
Godoy, Maria, and Danovich, Tove. “Why People with Disabilities Want the Ban on Plastic Straws to Be More Flexible.” NPR. NPR. July 11, 2018. Web. July 11, 2018.