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Why are we banning plastic straws?


Springfield

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Of all the single use plastics to ban, why straws?  It seems so absolutely, unnecessarily arbitrary.  Why not plastic bags, plastic cups, plastic forks, spoons, knives or bottles?  Stuff that’s like, you know, bigger than straws.

 

What the **** did a plastic straw ever do to you?

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They dont have plastic straws that are recyclable? 

 

Just to confirm, is there any reason we should be making anything that's not recyclable or biodegradable anymore?

 

I get the reluctance to something different, but it takes like 200 years for a straw to fully biodegrade.  Is what it is, ya'll...

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23 minutes ago, Springfield said:

Of all the single use plastics to ban, why straws?  It seems so absolutely, unnecessarily arbitrary.  Why not plastic bags, plastic cups, plastic forks, spoons, knives or bottles?  Stuff that’s like, you know, bigger than straws.

 

What the **** did a plastic straw ever do to you?

 

The problem is that plastic straws aren't normally accepted at recycling facilities. I actually advocate planning plastic bags but plastic bag recycling does exist. We should get rid of those plastic utensils cause they are really styrofoam which can't be recycled. It wouldn't take long for people to adjust or companies to fill a void by using recyclable material. 

 

BTW, at what point should an adult not use a straw? ;) 

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7 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

The problem is that plastic straws aren't normally accepted at recycling facilities. I actually advocate planning plastic bags but plastic bag recycling does exist. We should get rid of those plastic utensils cause they are really styrofoam which can't be recycled. It wouldn't take long for people to adjust or companies to fill a void by using recyclable material. 

 

BTW, at what point should an adult not use a straw? ;) 

 

Thank you for an actual logistical response.

 

My wife and I were at a taphouse tonight.  She was drinking a mixed drink through a piece of pasta.  We were drinking out of single use plastic cups.  I’m drinking out of a single use plastic cup now.  But those can be recycled but not the straws?

 

I just don’t get it.  I wouldn’t mind banning all single use plastics but straws just seems random.

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15 minutes ago, Springfield said:

 

Thank you for an actual logistical response.

 

My wife and I were at a taphouse tonight.  She was drinking a mixed drink through a piece of pasta.  We were drinking out of single use plastic cups.  I’m drinking out of a single use plastic cup now.  But those can be recycled but not the straws?

 

I just don’t get it.  I wouldn’t mind banning all single use plastics but straws just seems random.

 

Constituent services. I gotta practice cause I'm running for Raleigh City Council. I learned a lot of this stuff over the last year. 

Red solo cups are the same as utensils. Most places don't take them cause he's compressed styrofoam. Some places like Panera, probably Starbucks, have the plastic cups that can be recycled. It's all about what the recycling facility contracted by a city is capable of recycling.

 

On another note, the taphouse doesn't have glassware to use? 

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@Hersh

This is a taphouse in Corolla NC, everyone uses plastic cups.

 

Red Solo Cups are ubiquitous among the backyard bbq and any tailgating experience.  Banning them would be better to me than straws.  Except the anthem that proclaims that they’re so great.  And the beer pong.

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2 minutes ago, Springfield said:

@Hersh

This is a taphouse in Corolla NC, everyone uses plastic cups.

 

Red Solo Cups are ubiquitous among the backyard bbq and any tailgating experience.  Banning them would be better to me than straws.  Except the anthem that proclaims that they’re so great.  And the beer pong.

 

I'd get rid of them too but at a minimum just use a material that can be recycled. I laugh at my buddies that still play beer pong as we are in our early 40s. 😪

Unfortunately we put convenience over sustainability these days even though it really wouldn't be an inconvenience to make a few changes. 

 

Enjoy the beach. Was at Ocracoke this last weekend. Weather and water were perfect. 

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6 hours ago, Springfield said:

 

Thank you for an actual logistical response.

 

My wife and I were at a taphouse tonight.  She was drinking a mixed drink through a piece of pasta.  We were drinking out of single use plastic cups.  I’m drinking out of a single use plastic cup now.  But those can be recycled but not the straws?

 

I just don’t get it.  I wouldn’t mind banning all single use plastics but straws just seems random.

When I was in the Galapagos, some bars/restaurants were using metal straws. Actually, worked really well as the cooled metal did not change the taste but did help to chill the drink. Bamboo straws work fine, too. They're trying to eliminate all plastic down there.

 

I do think that your overall question has value. We overuse plastic. Everything we do has a plastic component it seems. Heck, every time we buy fruit or veggies it incorporates plastic either in the little produce bags or in cartons. There ought to be a way to greatly reduce our overall usage. I think straws were chosen because their easy to pick on. They're a one use item that doesn't really have much utility except for some people with specific medical conditions. So, they can be cut out without us losing much convenience or quality of life.

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The plastic straw which hides the forest

They are so small as mentioned above that they're dumped into the oceans. In 2009, the Ocean Conservancy Association listed waste found at sea, and straw came in 7th place, representing 4% of them.

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Because of Turtles.

 

http://www.nestonline.org/plastic-straws/

 

Quote

As the plastic straws travel around the ocean they break into tiny pieces that are then easily ingested by marine life.  Threatened and Endangered sea turtles are greatly affected by this action. Sea turtles mistake floating plastic items for food. While plastic bags are the most commonly ingested item found in turtles, straws are a close second.

 

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10 minutes ago, Chew said:

::insert viral video from 5 years ago of turtle with a straw stuck in its nose::

::edit:: damn you, @clietas

 

Pretty much right after that video went around the internets I remember reading an article that said plastic straw would be replaced. Though that hasn't happened here in central NC.

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