It has been decades living with plastic straws in our drinks. They are inexpensive, convenient, and nearly non-obtrusive in our lives. But have you ever thought what happens to them after you are over with your soda or milk shake? To make things worse, it is not a pretty story. The use of plastic straws is one of the leading pollutants of oceans. They find their way into waterways, kill organisms in the sea and require hundreds of years to decompose. That’s where paper drinking straws come into the picture–a simple switch with significant environmental benefits.
Why Paper Straws Are Making a Difference
Straws made of paper may not look strong. And then he or she softens after time in a beverage. This is what makes them eco-friendly though. Paper decomposes naturally unlike plastic. It falls on the earth in a couple of months without any residue that is harmful to it. Consider: you drink your beverage, remove the straw out of the trash or compost, and then Nature does the rest. That is a steep comparison to a plastic straw, which lasts hundreds of years, progressively disintegrating into micro plastics that would impact soil and water.
Replacing plastic straws with paper straws is not only less stressful but also you are choosing a cleaner future. It is a minor behavior, which when repeated across millions of individuals can be a significant influence of benefit. Paper straws are becoming more popular in restaurants and cafes and in households, which has shown that convenience does not have to work against sustainability.
Benefits Beyond the Environment
You would be asking yourself whether paper straws are all about preserving the planet. In fact, they have a number of other benefits as well. To begin with, they are less harmful to wildlife. Plastic straws are commonly confused with food by birds, turtles and fish which result in injury or even death. We eliminate this danger by substituting them with paper straws.
Furthermore, paper straws usually use renewable materials, such as sustainably sourced wood pulp. This would translate to fewer trees getting chopped recklessly and the energy used during production is less than that of plastic straws. There are even water-resistant and flavored straws that some brands create so that you can enjoy your drinking without becoming environmentally irresponsible.
Addressing the Common Concerns
And the reason why a large number of people do not switch to paper straws is that they believe that it will spoil the drinking experience. No, paper drinking straws cannot be soft in liquids, particularly when you are sitting and sipping with the straw. They have however been enhanced by manufacturers. There are straws that can now have a drink that can last many hours without going all soft. Others are added with additional layers or natural coverings in order to increase their life span.
Another concern is cost. When compared with plastic, paper straws are costlier. However, when you put the bigger picture into consideration- the cleanup of the environment, the health of the sea creatures and the decrease in non-biodegradable waste you will not see much difference. It is a one tenth more at present to save a hundred dollars at a later date.
How Small Changes Add Up
The thing is that we tend to underestimate the ability of little steps. A single paper straw will not save the earth, but when it comes to millions, people can see the difference. Consider a beach cleanup, in which, rather than collecting infinite numbers of plastic straws, volunteers discover much less due to people switching. Or imagine restaurants in a city going to use paper straws–then thousands of straws are no longer adding on to pollution.
The final decision to use paper drinking straws is a precedent, too. It makes others reconsider their other daily practices: reusable bags, reusable metal water bottles, or biodegradable cutlery. These little choices compound, their ripple effect stretching far much more than should be as far as a single drink.
Tips for Making the Transition
You have been considering taking the switch, and it is not as hard as you may think. Start at home. Pre-order paper drinking straws to use when drinking, making a smoothie, or pretending to be drunk. Inspire friends, relatives to test them. Dine out in establishments serving green straws. Almost everywhere people are boasting of their environmentally-friendly options and giving them a compliment strengthens positive behavior.
To companies, it is a question of providing alternatives without cheating the customer’s satisfaction. The number of customers who value the effort made to decrease plastic waste is very high. Advocating the use of paper straws as an option and not a mandate can lead people to feel that they are part of the solution and not inconvenienced.
Conclusion
Paper drinking straws may seem like a minor detail, but their impact is anything but small. Switching plastic with paper, we decrease pollution and save animals, as well as contribute to sustainable production. Every drink is a deliberate action to take care of the environment.
