Straws Aren't The Real Problem
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Don’t Get Me Wrong, Banning Plastic Straws Is Great, But It Won’t Save Us

Big companies and corporations are by far the biggest polluters.

21
Turtle

As I am sure you have heard, many places are starting to ban plastic straws, as well as companies trying to get rid of them, to help our environment. As of July first Seattle was the first city in the United States to put a full ban on plastic straws. Recently San Francisco passed legislation to ban the plastic straws as well as plastic stirrers. Many more cities are also trying to pass anti-plastic straw legislation to help save our environment. In addition, many companies pledged to ban the use of plastic straws, I'm sure you have noticed the new cold drink PLASTIC lids at Starbucks. This is a great effort, but what will banning plastic straws actually mean for our environment?

If you were to count all the trash that is in our oceans, plastic straws would wake up less than 4% of the garbage by piece and even far less by weight. Plastic straws are very small, which is one of the reasons they are dangerous to sea life. Each straw weighs approximately 0.42 grams or 0.67 oz. When you weigh all the straw in the water it adds up to about 4,000,000 pounds. Which is a lot, don't get me wrong. But if that is less than 4% of the weight of the trash in the ocean, it is even more important to look at other pollutants that contribute much more to the problem.

There is about 9,000,000 tons (18,000,000,000 pounds) of plastic being dumped into our water every year, so clearly banning straws will not fix this problem. Between California and Hawaii, straws are ranked as the seventh most common trash item found in the water, having found 643,562 plastic straws in 2017. So let's look at what else is in the top 10 of this area that we can work on.

10. Foam food containers (580,570)

9. Plastic lids (624,878)

8. Takeout containers (632,874)

6. Plastic Ziploc bags (746,211)

5. Plastic grocery bags (757,523)

4. Plastic bottle caps (1,091,107)

3. Beverage bottles (1,569,135)

2. Food wrappers (1,739,743)

1. Cigarette butts (2,412,151)

It is time companies became accountable for their actions. If we look at all the plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, 46% is fishing nets. It is estimated that for each pound of fish that is taken from the ocean, the fishing companies leave 2 pounds of waste. If there were stricter regulations on companies and they contributed to keeping the oceans clean, about half of our problems would be gone.

Big companies and corporations are by far the biggest polluters. Von Hernandez stated, "These brand audits offer undeniable proof of the role that corporations play in perpetuating the global plastic pollution crisis," in reference to how much plastic large companies pollute. The top six companies adding to the waste in our waters are Coca-Cola, Coles, Danone, Woolworths, Nestle, and Pepsi-Co. Although it is important for people to be conscious about what they use personally, these companies contribute the most. Companies need to stop utilizing single-use plastic items and stop putting the blame on everyday people. If they changed their ways and contributed to clean-up efforts, our oceans would be mostly clean.

Some of these brands are trying to make a change, however. A spokesperson from Nestle said, "Our vision is that none of our product packaging, including plastics, should end up in landfills or as litter, including in seas, oceans, and waterways. In order to achieve this, we have set ourselves the ambition of ensuring 100% of our packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2025."

Getting rid of plastic straws is a step in a good direction when it comes to the environment, yet they are the only straws many disabled people can use. So there can not be a full ban on them until we have a non-plastic bendable straw option. Also, there are many other steps everyone can take in their homes and in large companies that are necessary to help save the ocean.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

59092
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

38167
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959647
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

196678
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments