Plastic straws are terrible for the environment and are killing turtles and other animals. Instead we should use paper straws or reuseable metal straws.

I agree using metal straws that are reusable and washable will decrease the amount of plastic we consume; it is an easy fix that everyone can adapt to. However, I do not believe it is the most significant change we can make to decrease our plastic consumption. Items we use more frequently such as drinking bottles require more plastic to produce and therefore take a longer time to decompose. Replacing those items with reusable alternatives will make a more significant change.

It is interesting that the plastic straw, the most unnecessary part of a drink container, is such a polarizing topic. Adding to your point about drinking bottles, maybe companies should change their focus from reducing plastic straws to reducing the number of plastic cups. Frequently I see people at coffee shops finish their drink while they are still in the shop and throw away their cup. This waste could be totally avoided with the use of metal or ceramic coffee cups, that instead of throwing away could be washed and re-used by the shop. While some coffee shops do this already, I have never had a coffee shop offer me a "for here" cup.

I agree that we should try our best to not use plastic straws - I also agree that more should be done to decrease plastic consumption including not using plastic water bottles and plastic utensils. I like how coffee shops such as Starbucks have promoted a decrease in the use of plastic straws by using lids that don't require plastic straws and by keeping the straws behind the counter. Other coffee shops and restaurants have replaced plastic straws with paper or bamboo straws and I think that this is also a step in the right direction. However, the responsibility doesn't solely rest on these places; we should also be more conscious about bringing reusable cups, and reusable straws if you like using a straw. These minor changes may not seem to have a large impact but if everyone across the world is able to make these small changes, small changes can make a big difference.

I agree and disagree. No one should be using plastic straws, and restaurants shouldn't provide them. Some of the problem is the people. This goes for all plastics as well. People aren't taking placing plastics in the right place, thus plastic straws and other plastics end up in the ocean and killing the turtles. So all in all, we should just stop the production of plastics, and change the way people dispose of plastics and plastic straws to save the turtles. (sksksksksks)

While plastic straws are an issue, they are really not that big of a deal. There are a lot of bigger things wrong with the world than whatever it is we use to get a drink. We cannot exactly make a major shift from plastic to metal or glass, and I honestly do not think anyone cares that much about the issues they cause. We cannot distribute glass or metal straws because most disabled people can't use them, and you would not be able to have hot drinks with a metal straw. Imagine someone has a seizure while they were drinking with a glass straw and they uncontrollable bite down and break the glass. Would have been easier if it was just plastic. Then they would not be dealing with both a seizure and potential dangerous glass in their mouths.

I recently posted on another thread regarding plastic straws. I can see both sides of the story when it comes to the debate on plastic straws. In today's world we have plenty of alternatives available, such as metal straws and even reusable plastic straws or paper. Yes this is not a solution for every person and every  personal situation. However, let me point to the same statistics I mentioned in a previous post, by 2050 it is believed there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This is such a astonishing number, and looking at the fact that it is believed that 8 million metric tonnes of plastic enters the ocean every year, why not reduce that somewhat by encouraging the discontinued production and use of plastic straws? We can all agree the environment does have much bigger issues than straws, but every small step will help at this major turning point for our environment.

It truly is sad seeing how much garbage is thrown into the sea, not just plastic straws.  Every year creatures die from swallowing straws, plastic cups, and aluminum cans, and plastic being wrapped around their necks.  There are several other examples of the dangers of using our ocean as a human garbage can.  More awareness should be said about helping save, clean, and preserve our oceans.  Our oceans house so many beautiful creatures, we must work harder at protecting them.