Plastic Straws and Their Impact on the Environment

The Growing Movement Against Plastic Straws

The growing movement against plastic straws is rapidly awakening to the reality that plastic drinking straws actually suck. It is estimated that Canada uses more than a million plastic straws per day – a number that is extremely astonishing. The quantity of straws used annually shows just how companies are exceedingly wasteful in their manufacture and distribution of such enormous volumes of plastic material. The horrifying part is how the straws are disposed as most of them find their way into seas due to their lightweight nature. Ocean plastic has had an adverse effect on marine creatures such as fish and seabirds which are choked upon feeding on the waste. Furthermore, the bad news in marine wildlife does not stop there as turtles have been found on the receiving end as the plastic straws stick in the noses of turtles causing immense pain and suffering. The plastic straws are also harmful to human beings as they leach synthetic estrogens that are potent and harmful to the human body.

The Negative Impact on the Environment

Cleaning of plastic waste straws has also been found to be an expensive affair by city administrations as they have to part with thousands of dollars to clear them from streets. The plastic straws are also notorious for blocking sewage lines hence causing inconveniences and causing huge amounts in unblocking. Plastic straws find their way in landfills thereby making companies spend a lot of money in clearing the environment before work. The worst effect of the plastic straws on the environment is that they take ages to decompose hence being a permanent feature in our ecosystem. People are advised to start skipping the use of straws and be contended with sipping their drinks in order to minimize on plastic straw pollution. The government is encouraged to speed up the ban on plastic straws as manufacturers are advised to be more inventive and come up with alternatives such as biodegradable paper straws.