213_Should We Really Ban Plastic Straws?

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 213

Should We Really Ban Plastic Straws?

Public opinion swings back and forth like a pendulum. That is why I never pay attention to it. But occasionally I see something that gets my attention because I get curious as to why people are suddenly so concerned about that one particular thing. This is the case with the plastic straw.

Depending on which study you look at, humanity produces approximately 350 to 430 million metric tons of plastic waste annually. Plastic straws only make up two and a half percent of that total waste. So is the anti-plastic straw parade just another distraction? Or should we actually pay attention to it because this campaign produces something of value.

So join me for E213 Should We Really Ban Plastic Straws?

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E213 Should We Really Ban Plastic Straws?

What I really want to highlight in this episode is the anti-plastic straw movement. I want to discuss how it got started and whether or not this is really something we should focus on. Or will such a ban actually hinder our efforts to reduce and even eliminate plastic waste?  If that is the case, then why? And finally I want to give you some guidance on why, under certain circumstances, bans such as these are practically meaningless.

Good news story of the week

This week’s good news story is about our oceans. And this is one of my favorite topics because I am a scuba diver and I was just out diving the other day.

What I want to focus on for a minute here is one of our natural resources that is by far one of the most under appreciated. And I say this because few people know about the importance of something as simple as seagrass. It  only covers 1/10th of one percent of the ocean floor, yet it is a vital natural resource.

Seagrass can store up to 40 times more carbon than land based plants. Seagrass is habitat for an incredible array of marine life, it filters pollutants and excess nutrients out of the water, it helps to protect coastal areas from erosion, and even has medicinal properties.

Yet this important resource is being lost due to climate change, pollution, coastal development, over fishing,  invasive species as well as several other reasons.

Yet someone has come up with a pioneering solution to help marine scientist restore this vital underwater habitat. It is a robot that plants seagrass seeds at a much faster rate than humans. It injects a tiny slurry of sediment wrapped around the seeds and plants tiny garden plots one at time. 

On one project the Grasshopper, which is the name of the robot, planted 25,000 seeds in Wales. And now the parent company RefGen has partnered with the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences to test various seed replanting methods to help with the state’s declining seagrass meadows.

Certainly seagrass is one of the most under respected marine resources yet it plays a vital part in the balance of the entire ocean ecosystem. And of course when you are a scuba diver like I am, diving around seagrass meadows is a great way to see lots of critters. Just the other day I saw about a dozen sea turtle bedded down in seagrass and having a nice meal.

So, a round of applause this week to RefGen and their robot named Grasshopper.

Now let’s move on to this week’s episode.

If you have been following me for awhile then you know that I give very little credence to public opinion. This is because it swings back and forth like a pendulum. From one decade to the next you never know exactly what people are going to be in love with or what they are going to march and campaign against.

This part of our society has often fascinated me because I always think it is a milder version of mob mentality which is also known are herd mentality or crowd psychology. This is a phenomenon where individuals adopt the beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes of the majority in a group, often at the expense of their own judgement or individuality. This is also something that I refer to as tribal loyalty. This kind of behavior can be observed in various aspects of our daily lives, from fashion trends to investment decisions and even political affiliations.

Well known historical examples of mob mentality are the Salem Witch trials where over 20 individuals were executed due to hysteria and fear over witchcraft. There was also the Red Scare in the 1950s. There was widespread fear over communists infiltrating our culture. Another historical example was the behavior of many German soldiers during WWII. Many of these soldiers who were not actively involved in the widespread atrocities yet they went along with the Nazi regime’s brutal policies.

Other examples of mob mentality is crowd behavior at concerts, sporting events, public protests, cults and even social behavior on the internet. And, if you want to talk politics, crowd mentality and tribal loyalty tends to support a particular political candidate despite that person being overtly racists, being a bigot, one who supports violence, and even being convicted of multiple criminal acts. People support them anyway.

But, let’s get back to the plastic straw debate and why this may actually be harmful to our efforts to reduce and eliminate plastic pollution.

The average American  produces 2,072 pounds of trash per year. The average European produces about half that amount. If you look at municipal solid waste, 30% to 40% of that waste is plastic. And if you analyze litter, the most common plastic products are food wrappers and containers, bottle caps, beverage containers, and plastic bags. Not plastic straws.

But, what about plastic straws, the one thing that tends to distract us. So, plastic straws by the numbers:

In the United States alone we use almost 183 billion plastic straws per year. That is 183 billion plastic objects that we use for only a few minutes and then throw it away. Furthermore, best estimates are that hundreds of millions, if not billions of plastic straws are laying on beaches around the world. Now I know that sounds like a lot and it is easy to focus on those big numbers.

But, in the big picture, that amount of pollution is actually quite small when you consider the amount of plastic pollution that ends up in the oceans. University of Georgia environmental engineering professor Jenna Jambeck figures that nearly 9 million tons, or 8 million metric tons, of plastic ends up in our oceans and on our coastlines each year. And that was as of 2010 and that is only what is in or near the ocean.

Furthermore, the United Nations Sustainable Development reports that the world produces approximately 430 million tonnes of plastic per year, with two-thirds of this plastic being used for a short period of time, things such are wrappers, packets and utensils. Additionally, 50% of our plastic production is for single use only.

So why do people get so excited about plastic straws? In my opinion it is a close parallel to mob behavior. Someone publishes a video of a plastic straw being pulled out of the nose of a sea turtle and it goes viral and suddenly everyone hates plastic straws. But you have to ask whether or not we truly landed on the cornerstone of our bad human behavior or is this just another demonstration of the power of media to influence public opinion.  People have started protests and social movements based on less.

And you may feel as if it is okay to ban plastic straws because we have good alternatives. But if we take a close look at those alternatives, here is what we find.

Paper straws use a lot of raw material and energy to produce. Due to the presence of glues and other additives they typically cannot be composted. Metal straws are recyclable and durable but require mining and processing of resources which has it’s own impact. Glass straws are non-toxic and recyclable but are prone to breaking. Bamboo straws are biodegradable and compostable, which is the best of both worlds. But this alternative to plastic requires harvesting of bamboo forests which can lead to habitat destruction. Silicone straws are flexible and non-toxic but cannot be recycled and are not biodegradable.

So what is the answer?

First of all the bottom line is that unless you have a specific medical problem or a disability straws are completely unnecessary. They are simply a wasteful convenience.

Yes it is incredibly sad to see a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in it’s nose. Sea turtles are one of my favorite creatures to observe when I go diving. I was diving just the other day and saw twelve of them. They are indeed beautiful majestic creatures but they are a small part of the big picture. Hundreds of thousands of marine animals die every year due to plastic pollution. Sea turtles are simply one of many.

Do I think plastic straws should be banned?

Yes I do. However, banning plastic straws is not going to solve the underlying problem. Discussions of banning straws is sort of a straw man, no pun intended. This huge campaign that attracts so much public attention is a distraction from the big picture. The problem with such campaigns is that so many people will follow along and feel as if they are doing the world a favor. However, it also gives them a moral license to continue with other bad behavior.  Because they no longer use plastic straws they feel as if they are doing their part. But the reality is that such actions barely scratch the surface. Again, we need to focus on the big picture.

Approximately 50% of the plastic produced in the world is single use. Best estimates are that only 6% to 9% of the plastic produced is ever recycled.

If we are going to ban plastic straws that is only the beginning. It would take care of two and a half percent of our plastic pollution which is a great start.  But if we are going to ban plastic straws then we need to follow that with a progressive ban on every other kind of single use plastic. That would take care of 50% of our plastic pollution.

Did you know that in 2021, the world generated 139 million metric tons of single-use plastic. The global plastic packaging industry produces an estimated 460 million metric tons of plastic annually. Americans purchase 50 billion water bottles per year. The rate of plastic production has increased by 620% since 1975.

Best estimates on how long it takes plastics to decompose in the environment are 450 years to forever. Plastic trash can now be found in every marine environment on the planet.  It is estimated that by 2050 the weight of plastic in the oceans will out weigh all the fish combined. And the plastic lined disposable diapers your parents used on you when you were an infant are still in the landfill. Numerous studies have even shown that plastic-associated chemicals are in our food and ground water. Exposure to such chemicals has been linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and as well as numerous other illness.

What About Recycling?

But you may argue that we can simply recycle all of this plastic, especially the single use items. But the problem is that only a small percentage of the plastics produced are even designed to be recycled. So here is the issue:

-Smaller items such as plastic cutlery, tend to fall into the crevices of recycling machines.

-Any plastic material that is contaminated with other waste that cannot be cleaned off will not get recycled

-Only a limited variety of plastic materials are recyclable and most of these are NOT single use items.

-Even biodegradable alternatives such as bioplastics are very resource intensive and typically do not biodegrade rapidly under natural conditions.

-The reality is that recycling of single use plastics with current technology is not an option.

-And if straws are your thing, even the so called “compostable” straws made from corn or potato starch will not breakdown on their own. An oxygen rich environment with sunshine is what is needed for these materials to compost properly. That does not happen in landfills or in the oceans. Additionally, it is unlikely that these straws will end up in a proper facility anyway. They typically end up in a trash bin just like everything else.

When did we start using so much plastic?

You know it is unfortunate that what started out as a good thing and turned into the bane of our existence. In the mid-19th century, scientists created the first synthetic polymer, which was called celluloid. It was created as an alternative to ivory due to over hunting. This early form of plastic was intended to conserve natural resources and reduce the slaughter of animals.

During World War II, plastics became an essential part military equipment and were used in things such as parachutes, ropes, and body armor. The widespread need for inexpensive, lightweight, and durable materials led to the development of synthetic plastics.

After the end of the war, industries sought out new markets for plastic production. The invention of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in the 1950s opened the doors for mass production of cheap, strong, and lightweight plastic bags. This led to the widespread adoption of single-use plastic bags in supermarkets and other retail outlets.

Additionally, single-use plastics offered a convenient and affordable solution for consumers and retailers. At the time they were seen as a replacement for paper bags, which were more expensive and required more resources to produce.

But at the end of the day, the total lack of regulation and oversight of plastic production and disposal led to the proliferation of single-use plastics. Manufacturers and retailers alike prioritized profit over environmental concerns.

Our Moral License is the Problem

As far as the general public is concerned, due to all the media attention around plastic straws, that has fanned our moral license which becomes an even greater problem. Personally, I think if we want to ban the use of plastic straws that is fantastic. However, we cannot use that as a means of granting ourselves a moral license to feel as if we have done our part to save the planet and then continue to engage in other bad behavior.  While banning certain products does play a part, that needs to be used as a stepping stone to address the much wider issue of plastic waste.

So, if you are willing to jump on the band wagon of the anti-plastic straw movement, are you also willing to address your other wasteful habits?

For example:

-Give up paper towels: We throw away 3,000 tons of paper towels everyday.

-Give up single use plastic bags: Globally we use 5 trillion plastic bags annually. The average person throws away one plastic bag per day.

-Purchase reusable stainless steel cups and mugs and take them with you wherever you go. It is estimated that somewhere between 25 and 50 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away each year.

-Never purchase bottle water again. Estimates are that we thrown away 500 billion plastic bottles every year.

-Never use plastic cutlery again. We throw away 40 billion plastic knives, forks, and spoons every year.

-Give up using disposable razors: We throw away 2 billion razors every year, enough to circle the Earth 6 times.

-Never use a disposable take out container ever again. Approximately 420 billion take out containers are thrown away each year.

-Never use a disposable straw again. After all, unless you have a specific medical condition or disability, there is absolutely no reason to use a straw in the first place.

Now to start wrapping things up a bit, I want to focus on the sustainability topic of the week because it goes right along with what we have been discussing. This will also help you to further understand why plastics in general are such a problem. So the question is this:

Why is it so difficult to recycle plastic?

Plastics are difficult to recycle mainly for two reasons.

Recycling is actually a complicated system. It tends to be dictated by market demand, local regulations, price determinations, and is even dependent on the waste collector and the recycling worker.

Additionally, all plastics are not created equal. Many of them have different melting points which means multiple different types of plastics cannot be recycled together. Plastic also decrease in quality when they are recycled. This is known as down cycling. What this means is that plastics still have limited usefulness and they take hundreds of years to degrade in the environment.

Granted plastic straws are very useful and versatile. But we should try to not use plastic in the first place. But as for me, here are examples of some of the things that I no longer do.

-I haven’t purchased paper towels in two years. We only have reusable towels at home and I even take a reusable towel to work with me.

-We have reusable shopping bags and produce bags for the supermarket.

-I’ve had the same stainless steel coffee and drinking mug for over ten years. I carrying around stainless steel straws and eating utensils.

-I never buy bottled water because we filter our own water at home.

-I use a safety razor for shaving and have not purchased disposable razors in years.

-When we do eat at a restaurant, which is not very often, we even take our own reusable containers for left overs.

So you see, we not only refuse to use plastic straws, we take it a lot further than that.

Summary

In the end I feel as if there is no one thing that humanity has done that has resulted in the environmental degradation that we now see. It is truly the cumulative affect of everything we have done for hundreds of years. Consequently, when it comes to reversing that kind of environmental damage we cannot focus on any one thing.

Additionally, we cannot allow ourselves to get distracted by public opinion and mob mentality that diverts our attention away from the big picture. We cannot focus on one thing and use that as a moral license to continue in other bad behaviors. For example, big businesses purchase carbon credits and invest money in environmental restoration projects yet continue to cause incredible damage to our environment. What we need to do is change the underlying behavior that got us to this point in the first place.

But some people would say that we need to invest in systems and infrastructure to prevent land-based waste from ending up in our waterways and oceans and to upscale our recycling. But I say the best thing we can do is to think up stream and not produce the waste in the first place. The best-ever recycling is to not have to recycle.

You may not think much about that plastic stir stick for your coffee or the disposable cup it comes in. But nearly 50 billion of those cups get thrown away every year. You may not think much about tossing out that plastic water bottle. But remember that very thing happens 500 billion times a year. You may not think much about all these little things we do. But it is the cumulative affect of every little thing we do that makes a difference.

So before you are tempted to whip out your moral license over someone using a plastic straw first take a look at your own wasteful habits. The banning of plastic straws should not be the only step we take. It should be the first of many. But thankfully, as consumers by changing some of these habits one at a time we can make a significant difference.

Well folks thats about it for now. I hope you have enjoyed this episode and that you will join me again next week when I am going to talk about some additional tips on living plastic free.

Until next week, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.