Straws, straws, or straws (the term varies greatly depending on the region) are a great tool when it comes to drinking in a simple way. But the truth is that behind this little plastic there are terrifying statistics about the impact they have on the environment: they are almost always discarded and not recycled, they accumulate on beaches and coasts, or they end up lying on streets and sidewalks.
Millions of straws accumulate every year in the seas and oceans, polluting their waters and altering the ecosystem that develops there. There are about 1.5 million animals that die or become ill due to the ingestion of plastics.
Here are some of the facts about straws that you should know.
- A plastic straw is usually used for 10 to 20 minutes, but it takes about 1,000 years to decompose.
- This type of plastic generates approximately 4% of the garbage worldwide.
- Most plastics end up in the oceans and it is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic waste than fish in the water.
Taking into account that straws are a plastic that is widely used in drinks and beverages that are consumed on beaches and other tourist sites, their reduction would have a positive impact on marine pollution.
“Plastic significantly affects the ocean and all marine life. Animals mistake plastic debris for food and die by ingesting it or it hurts them badly. Also, straw is made from petroleum, it is used for a few seconds and discarded. This affects our health, our ocean, our beaches, rivers, lakes, lagoons and hundreds of animals,” said Gastón Caminata, president of an NGO that promotes the “Argentina free of straws” project.
- About 500 million straws are thrown away every day in the United States alone.
- Although they are usually made of recyclable plastics, polypropylene and polyethylene, the vast majority are not recycled since the smaller a plastic is, the less importance it is usually given.
- According to a 2015 report of debris collected on beaches around the world, straws are the fourth most common litter, after cigarette butts, food wrappers, and bottle caps.
The use of straws is seen as a hygiene mechanism to prevent the spread of diseases through bacteria that can be found in glasses or bottles, but it is not always justifiable to use them.
There is also no need to buy plastic straws. There are other more environmentally friendly materials that will allow you to reuse light bulbs, such as rye, bamboo, glass and even stainless steel.
There are already many restaurants and gastronomic establishments that have joined the measure of not placing straws in their drinks, except when requested by the client; and the “No straw, please” policy is also promoted so that consumers themselves are the ones who reject the offer to put a plastic straw in their drink.
Would you join the initiative?
These are some of the international actions that are being carried out to denaturalize the use of plastic straws and that seek to raise awareness about the impact they have on the environment:
StrawFree – www.strawfree.org
The Last Straw – www.plasticfreejuly.org
The Last Plastic Straw – www.thelastplasticstraw.org
Straw Wars – www.strawwars.org