I went to a restaurant the other day and instead of a plastic or paper straw it was…. A piece of straw!
It is the perfect size, it’s a by-product of agricultural, it doesn’t break down while drinking you beverage and it’s compostable.
It seems so obvious yet it has become this stupid culture war issue. Paper straws are objectively garbage and plastic straws also become objectively garbage.
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Is your opinion that paper straws are garbage? If so, that’s not unpopular.
As for using actual straw, the processing alone would make that cost prohibitive.
Wow I can’t imagine why people don’t want to suck their drinks through a piece of grass
The world is dumb for paper straws period.
We said we wanted to get rid of plastic straws and came up with the worst possible solution then just stuck with it.
The production of paper products also happens to be worse for the environment with respect to global warming.
Or, you know, just don’t use a straw. Seriously.
Have yall ever tried drinking out of the glass like an adult?
The actual answer is simple is just don’t use a straw and drink from a cup
I’m convinced OP is actually a horse. I’ll stick to my metal straws though.
Straw ?
You know that straw is grown, not manufactured, right ?
So that means… processing. A ton of it. Just the process to find the straw that is big enough and has no holes would be a huge waste of resources. And then you’ll have to clean it enough because it litterally goes in your mouth.
Something doesn’t necessarily is better because it’s compostable. The amount of electricity and water wasted would be monumental.
ugh, do people know that they can just take a sip?
Pieces of straw, used as a straw, also become “objectively” garbage after use.
Seems like the only solution that avoids garbage would be reusable straws, by the criteria you’ve set.
Best straws are Twizzlers
I know using a paper straw isn’t going to stop me from getting microplastics but I would prefer something paper like that over plastic to try and have reduced microplastic intake at least.
Mainland Europe McDonald’s has the best solution: Don’t use a straw. They instead use a paper lid with a little slot you can push in so you can drink out of that whole instead. I wish the UK did this as well tbh
Mainland Europe McDonald’s has the best solution: Don’t use a straw. They instead use a paper lid with a little slot you can push in so you can drink out of that whole instead. I wish the UK did this as well tbh
in this thread: people who dont realize that straws are genuinely a necessity for some people (i.e. disabled folks) to be able to drink without assistance
If you must use a straw just use metal. Return it to the restaurant like regular silverware or carry your own if that works for you
I agree paper straws are dumb, but I also think your solution is. However, I will say that there are many creative alternatives to straws. The most interesting I have seen was a straw that was like an extra long and slightly thicker penne pasta.
Yea straw made from wheat… I’m allergic to wheat btw. Also most grass. Just being around it causes me issues with anaphylaxis
Funny thing is, sometimes the paper straws come in plastic packaging.
90% of the oceans plastic are old fishing gear. Never got the (plastic straws are evil) bit. Plastic manufacturing has never been bigger, and recicling is just a small percentage of it. It’s like EV, it came to save the auto industry, not the environment
We don’t even need straws ffs
Straws just shouldn’t be the default unless asked for. People who need straws can get them, where as the majority of people would probably not use one because it’s more effort to ask for one
But what if….people stoped using straws completely? Minblowing…I know!!
in addition, I’ve heard of straws being made of pasta, sugar, starch – there’s no reason to use petrochemicals at all. As you stated, the solutions are simple and nothing really new
We really don’t need straws at all. Just get rid of them altogether.
Why should I drink out of soggy paper while celebs play astronaut?
It’s like when you see a peeled orange in a plastic container at the grocery story. Like wow, if only nature invented some organic part of the fruit that protected it until it was ready to be eaten.
Yo dawg. I’m allergic to straw. Please don’t put a piece of straw in my drink. Thanks.
Maybe cus I dont go to like, farm farms but of all the straw I’ve seen none of it was big enough around nor sturdy enough that I would attempt to drink through it
In our club we use pasta as Straße and only give them for cocktails or when asked for it.
Hemp plastic has all the benefits and none of the repercussions. It will always bother me how hard we’ve dropped the ball on that.
We don’t really need straws that often. They are a bit unnecessary most often
Actually paper straws replaced the all natural straw you are thinking of as they affect the flavor and they’re extremely brittle. Plastic straws were much later.
…just drink out of a cup like a human
No idea what you talking about?
Or just pick it up and drink like normal people do. /s
https://www.eater.com/2018/7/19/17586742/plastic-straw-ban-disabilities
This article from 2018 in the heat of the straw bans still provides an important perspective that I believe should be included in these discussions.
Metal straws maybe. Those biodegradable plastics are turning out that maybe the components of them are affecting our biological system more than the microplastics would.
The only time I would ever consider using a straw of any type is at a fast food drive thru. Beyond that, there is zero reason for straws IMO
I have a pet rock to sell you
I like bamboo straws
“Let me be real clear, they don’t save two turtles.”
They’re more expensive. That’s the answer.
Wendy’s is the dumbest of them all.
Had paper cups and plastic straws like everywhere back in the day. Then it went fully plastic cup and paper straws (explain. please). Now they don’t even give you a straws unless you ask.
Paper straws are almost as dumb as arguing about what we should make straws out of while the people making all the rules get to fly around in private jets.
The other day, I saw a video of the process to recycle used tires to make gasoline. Sounded like a great process that would help the environment, but what I saw was the most visceral illustration of greenwashing I’ve ever seen. Also, actual straw has a taste, so no thanks.
I bought a box of those, uh, straw straws. They’re interesting I guess. They certainly work but they crack easily if you’re not careful, they don’t really work at all with carbonation, and you might want to use two instead of one because they’re much thinner than a typical manufactured straw.
But at least they aren’t lined with microplastics like paper straws are. Paper straws are one of the stupidest misdirections industry has given us recently, they all still use plastics and they do nothing about literally every non-food product being packaged in a single use plastic bag wrapped in another single use plastic bag stacked on a pallet wrapped with single use plastic. Fuck.
The real solution is to not use a straw unless you acctually need to
Wait until you learn where drinking straws got their name from!
We actually just don’t need any straws. Just drink from a cup the way humans did for tens of thousands of years.
sounds like my kind of place.