Plastic Straw Ban and Concerns Essay Example

As concerns about the environment rise, the topic of plastic straws has been thrown around frequently. With a viral video of a turtle with a plastic straw in its nose (Povich), and large companies changing to plastic straw alternatives or no straws at all, a question arises: Are we, as a society, ready to ban plastic straws? Environmental waste and its effects have been an ongoing debate bringing many commonly used items into review. One such item, plastic straws, have made headlines and have been stopped being used by many companies such as Starbucks and McDonalds unless requested. Although banning plastic straws might be a step in the right direction to try to help the environment, factors such as accessibility towards disabled people and the cost of alternative straws make a straw ban more harmful than helpful. 

A large amount of the apprehension surrounding plastic straw bans involves how it would affect the lives of disabled people. Many disabled people struggle with not having options to be able to drink properly now that the plastic straw alternatives are being introduced. Alternatives like paper straws lack the flexibility of a plastic straw, and metal straws could even injure people who may have a disability that causes them to move involuntarily. Although many people bring up the point of being able to request a plastic straw in locations, “others argue that requiring people with disabilities to ask for straws potentially places them at risk of discrimination” (Powell). This, although it may seem insignificant, is an additional problem to the long list of things disabled people face. Banning a straw without providing the proper replacement for people who need it has as much of an effect as plastic straws do to the environment. 

When eliminating a commonly used item, there has to be more consideration of the consequences and what alternatives are ready and available. Less commonly thought of is the price of those alternative items. Reusable or non plastic straws are generally more expensive to make, and even more expensive to buy than plastic straws, leaving people who need a straw or might just want one wondering if buying one is worth it (Powell). Although an extra dollar or two for an environmentally-friendly straw would be fine for some people, for others, it could be an unreasonable added expense. In 2016, the rate of disabled people below the poverty line was about 27%, and the rate of non-disabled people below the poverty line was 10% , something that has just gotten worse since COVID started (Powell). A ban on plastic straws will leave people with no option but to buy a more expensive straw or go without one. 

It is commonly known that plastic straws are bad for the environment. Many single use plastics have been polluting our planet, land and sea. Researchers are now even finding plastics in fish, birds, and drinking water (Povich). New research and concerning findings about the environment have led scientists and citizens alike to call for action against these pollutants, including plastic straws. Some of the actions that have been taken, however, are not as environmentally friendly as they may seem. Many of the alternatives to plastic straws, such as different kinds of straws or lids, are examples of this. For instance, although Starbucks has changed their policy against plastic straws, their alternative, sippy cup-type lids, use more plastic to produce than the normal plastic straw (Cross).  Not only are the alternatives affecting the environment, plastic straws don’t make up that much of the trash to begin with. Science and health writer, Radhika Viswanathan, a promoter of the ban on plastic straws, “noted that according to the Ocean Conservatory, plastic straws and stirrers, which are often discussed in conjunction with straws, represented only about 3 percent of the total trash found on beaches”. Although plastic straws might seem like an easy thing to get rid of to start helping the planet, more thought and research should be involved in making a ban.

Although plastic straws are harmful to the environment, is a complete ban on them the answer? Even if a ban will help the environment in the long run, there are still many negative effects of a plastic straw ban currently. These include accessibility for disabled people, the price of alternative straws, and the legibility of these alternatives to plastic straws. Until there is an alternative for plastic straws that are environmentally friendly, cost effective, and easy for people to use, a ban on plastic straws will not be effective.