Have you heard? Plastic straws are out.
Eco-friendly peeps are now switching to reusable straws.
Here’s the low down on why you should too!
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The number of plastic straws used daily in the US outnumbers citizens
According to market research firm Freedonia, around 390 million straws are used each day in America.
That’s more than one for every 328 million US citizen!
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They aren’t easily recycled
Although plastic straws are made of polypropylene, which is recyclable, they often end up in landfills regardless.
They slip through the cracks of conveyor belts in recycling facilities. For this reason, most places refuse to recycle them altogether.
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They don’t biodegrade
Discarded straws aren’t biodegradable. Instead, they break down into small particles called microplastics.
These plastic fragments stay in the environment forever and are harmful to all its inhabitants.
Which brings us to our next point.
More than 8 million tonnes of plastic are swept into the oceans each year.
Due to their small size, discarded plastic straws are easily carried in water currents, ending up on beaches, then in the sea.
It’s estimated that 800 species are harmed by plastic and microplastics.
According to the United Nations, a total of one million seabirds, 100,000 sea mammals, turtles, and fish are killed each year because of plastic waste.
Scary, isn’t it?
Thankfully, there is some good news!
More and more cities and establishments have made the commitment to ban plastic straws.
Here is a (non-exhaustive) list:
US
- Washington (Seattle)
- California
Companies like Disney and Starbucks have also announced that they are phasing out single-use straws from their establishments.
Canada
Vancouver is set to become the first city to ban straws.
EU
The Queen of England herself even recently announced that straws will be outlawed from all royal establishments!
Want to follow suit and ban plastic straws from your life? Grab our awesome set of reusable bamboo straws!
Want to find out more ways to lessen your impact on the environment? Check out these posts full of crucial info!
