Are straws really THAT bad?

Michael Gove is looking to ban plastic straws in bars and restaurants across the UK in the next few months. It would seem the government is responding to the criticism of dragging their heels (with the 25 year environmental plan) by making some bold statements, but is a complete plastic straw ban the right thing to do? 

(Source: Earth 911)

Why are straws such a hot topic?

Once used in Egypt to stop people gulping down insects at night, they are now an often useless addition to a drink, used for about 30 minutes then discarded. Therefore, they're an easy way for people to feel like they're tackling marine plastics without actually having to make much of a behavioural change.

An estimated 8.5 billion are used per year in the UK alone. That's a hard number to imagine so maybe this will help:

(Source: World Centric)

• It's like you or me using 1 straw every few days, which I'm sure isn't too hard to believe for some people 
• It's the same weight as 17,000 cars
• They could circle the Earth 43 times
• And reach the moon and back... twice

Still hard to picture? Well the U.S.A. use 21 times more than us. Bet that's given you a headache!

Why are they so bad?

Check out my previous posts for a refresher on the dangers of plastic pollution:

1. A beginning, middle and long end
2. Plastic all-you-can-eat buffet
3. Let us also not forget the straw's role in one of the pivotal moments for a call to end single-use plastics...

But are they that bad?

Despite their bad press, plastic straws shouldn't be wiped off the face of the Earth. Some groups of disabled people require plastic straws to drink and common alternatives like metal, glass or paper, aren't suitable. This is explained in a letter sent from disability campaign group, One in Five, to SNP's Kate Forbs, in which they outline that metal straws are dangerous for people with neurological conditions and paper straws aren't suitable for drinks above 40°C since they disintegrate and become a choking hazard (the full letter can be found here).

The alternatives.

Metal
Pros: Reusable and very durable.
Cons: Likely to be stolen and due to their high cost with relation to plastic straws, so the cost to the owner would remain high. There is also the cleaning aspect as they would likely need to be cleaned by hand.

Glass
Pros: These are made with the same type of glass (borosilicate glass) that is used to make glass ovenware, so they're very strong.
Cons: They aren't indestructible. What if one chips and someone swallows a shard of glass? Imagine the lawsuit.

Paper
Pros: Cheap, disposable, degradable.
Cons: Can quickly turn to mush in the wrong drink.

Straw straws
Pros: 100% natural (so chemical free and biodegradable).
Cons: Weaker than many alternatives and expensive.

Just like people now have reusable water bottles, I propose people who use straws with their drinks should invest (a pack of 4 only costs a fiver!) and carry metal straws with them. The bars and restaurants should stock paper straws for those without and plastic ones for the disabled. Easy.