Great piece from Barbara Hirsch, our beloved EcoNut. I carry my own rubber straws – how about YOU?
V.13 n.17 Plastics on the defense
The only urban place without plastic would be an empty room, with unpainted surfaces and unfinished concrete or hardwood floors, and no trash… and no plumbing…and no clothed people. And urban dwellers are us.. About half of the plastic produced (335 million metric tons in a year) goes into single use products. HALF to be used once! Such sturdy and everlasting stuff.
It may be far from the last straw, but at least there will be fewer of them served in your drinks. Every day more of those little tubes are used in the U.S. than there are people and pets combined. Following plastic bag awareness, now plastic straw bans and boycotts such as Straw Wars, Straws Suck, the Last Plastic Straw, are attempting to slow production and flow of plastics into the landfills and oceans. The American Chemistry Council will oppose any anti plastics campaigns, but change is happening nevertheless. Tetrapak, who makes those single serving juice things will begin moving towards paper straws. This article proudly states that their plant in Virginia produces enough straws in a year to fill 500 53 foot trailers with plastic straws. This might be better than coal, not sure. McDonalds in the U.K. is responding to pressure but not ready to in the U.S.. The travel industry – all convenience, all the time – is resisting but making movements.
Thanks, Linda Booker for your Straws doc.. It looks good! I hope to see it some time.
Happy sipping!
Barbara Hirsch, eco-nut
Santa Barbara, California
“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss
Chez Froggie 