Blogocentric Formulations

This Just In - July 18

Marriott Follows Starbucks In Dropping Plastic Straws  
Written as part of "This Just In..."   for "Blog Harbor from The Talent Pond" 

My wife has been really big on reducing the number of plastic straws we use for a while now. Plastic waste is a huge problem facing our environment and we're incredibly wasteful with products that hurt the environment. And most have hailed the news, first from Starbucks and now by Marriott, of companies phasing out plastic straws as progress.

What's really weird, though, is that in the last couple of days when all of this anti-straw stuff is coming out, I've also been hearing things on a few different podcasts which kind of stand in contrast to the "straws are bad!" argument. The first was that plastic straws actually account for comparatively little of the world's plastic waste. I wish I remembered where I heard that so I could verify the source, but the implication of that piece was basically, "You shouldn't be stressing out over straws; you should be stressing out over plastic bags and single-use cups which are far larger contributors to the volume of plastic waste."

Another commentary was by a contributor to the Pod Save The People podcast, which noted that access to single-use straws is actually a necessity for individuals with certain physical disabilities that prohibit them from drinking directly from a beverage container, and that the sterilization process for reusable straws made out of metal, bamboo, glass, etc. at a place like Starbucks would not be practical on a large scale.

All of this got me thinking about what would be the right thing to do for people concerned about plastic waste. There have been some really good proposals about simply cutting down on the number of plastic straws used by introducing simple policies. For example, restaurants or coffee houses could furnish straws upon request only, rather than assuming you need a new one and providing it with every refill. Able-bodied people could bring reusable straws with them (or *gasp* drink directly out of a beverage container) when out in public. Although, as a side note, that didn't go so well for us the last time my wife and I went to a baseball game and they thought the stainless steel straw she brought it was either some kind of weapon, or drug paraphernalia. (Seriously, it took three security guards and a supervisor almost ten minutes to sort out that we weren't a risk.) And some eco-friendly places have actually started introducing sturdy cardboard-esque paper straws that actually last plenty long enough to finish your drink with.

For me, I think the bottom line is that we should all be doing something to help the environment with plastic waste, but it's impossible to do everything... and there will always be someone out there to make you feel guilty for not doing more. Maybe you're the one that brings your own bags to the supermarket or chooses paper over plastic. Maybe you're the one who buys big gallons of water or uses a water dispenser rather than buying dozens of smaller bottles each month. Maybe you're the one who reuses a water bottle or single-use cup several times. Or maybe you're the person who brings your own straw and gets detained at a ball game. As far as I'm concerned, as long as you're doing something to be a more conscientious consumer of plastic and trying to limit your plastic usage, you're a-okay with me.

You know who's not a-okay with me? The idiots in front of me at a juice bar last week who literally went through five different disposable straws between them for their two juices.

"Oops, I grabbed the shorter one. I wanted a taller straw." *throws away straw*
"Oh, that straw has a small tear in the paper covering." *throws away straw*
*finally manages to select two straws they like*
"Hey, grab an extra one in case we need it."