Plastic straws are not the only problem, many people are really focused on plastic straws but it is not the straw that is the problem, it is the plastic. When you go out to eat you get a paper cup with a plastic straw and a lid that is also made out of plastic, when you buy a few soda cans, they are stuck together with plastic, when you buy bread in some bakeries you get a paper bag but with a little plastic strip over the middle so you can see the bread. There is a lot of plastic everywhere around us, not just straws.

I completely agree with you, plastic straws are not the only thing we should be focusing on. However, it is a great and easy way to start cutting out plastic. For example, at restaurants they usually automatically bring you a straw, even if you do not use it they have to throw it away. So when we order our drinks we should tell our waiter/ waitress to not bring any straws. Getting to go drinks are also a huge problem. especially when we get one and forget it on the table when we leave. It can be a hassle but bringing our own reusable cups can also help.

Plastic comes in almost everything you buy, from food packaging to tickets on clothes. Unfortunately a small percentage of this gets recycled. To avoid plastic contamination, it is important to start avoiding consuming plastic. Use alternatives to plastic bottles such as carrying your own, shop at your local farmers market and take your own bags. Don't buy unnecessary lotions, learn how to make your own shampoo.

I agree, many people believe that plastic straws are the main causes of pollution in the ocean but it is actually plastic. The covers used to holds cans of soda or the plastic bags that we use are far worse of a problem than plastic straws are. While straws are consumed by ocean organisms, so are the tabs on bread bags or small plastic cups that we mindlessly throw away. Plastic utensils are also part of the issue, but a majority of the population seems way too hyper focused on straws and how the turtles eat them when they are only a small part of it.

I agree. Although plastic straws are a big contributor, plastic in general is one of the biggest issues of pollution. It seems that everything is made of plastic now -a -days. As a whole, us humans dump so much plastic into the environment without even realizing it sometimes. We need to do a better job of containing and controlling the use of plastic around the world.

I agree. People think that banning plastic straws in restaurants is the solution to pollution but they fail to realize that they still use plastic cups, utensils, and lids. Certainly, banning straws is a step in the right direction but plastic still remains in other forms.

MWalker-SJR State
I agree, a large portion of the issue surrounding plastic straws is, simply convenience. Many restaurants have resorted to using paper straws, but once your straw has sat in your drink, for an extended period of time, its starts to get soggy and hard to drink from. The food chain I work for had to start using plastic straws again due to the demand for them, and customer complaints. I, for one, don't normally use lids or straws anywhere, you're never sure of how they are disposed of. Plastic is a consistent issue though, and very rarely do people recycle it publicly, they might at home, but recycling bins aren't necessarily available to us everywhere we go. I also agree that straws are not our only issue, but I feel it is an easy starting point from which we could gravitate towards large scale issues.

You make an excellent point; it doesn't matter if we get rid of all plastic straws, there will still be a bunch of plastic items that will end up in the ocean. We need to stop using plastics in practically everything or use more biodegradable plastics. If only they weren't so expensive.

You make a fair point, that the media is portraying a large amount of attention on plastic straws, and seemingly ignoring all of the other inputs of trash into the marine ecosystem. However, I think that this portrayal and direct attention on straws is generally made to create a concern for the health of the marine ecosystem, and the plastic straw act is acting as a catalyst for that. This can show the world that, collaboratively, we can make an effort in changing the health of our environment, even with something as simple as plastic straws. Yes, all plastics are a concern, but change starts with one thing, and this focus is creating the idea that change is possible.

I completely agree with you, I personally work at a restaurant and it seems that they only use plastic straws for affordability and convenience. I believe that if we can come out with sort of different technology that is more eco-friendly and affordable we would be one step towards the right direction. At my job we aren't able to use plastic cups due to how expensive they are so we use glass cups from home maybe that could be a way if everyone would bring there own cups that would decrease plastic in general

You make a good point, as a community we need to focus on all of the plastic we produce not just the straws.

I agree with you Abaker48 the use of plastic is hard to comprehend. Even if we stop using plastic straws, there would still be many more plastic objects in use

What we really need to be focusing on is single use plastic, not only plastic straws. A lot of people will stop using plastic straws and think that they are making a valiant effort, and then turn around and buy a bunch of individually packaged and non-environmentally friendly products.

Using containers to hold your food instead of bags is way better. Also don’t use a straws it’s useless.

There is a big stink about using plastic straws and large contributors to this problem like starbucks have recently begun using compostable straws. My question is what about the cups that all the drinks come in, are they compostable too? If not we should be focusing on making all plastics compostable not just straws.