Paper straws are inferior in every respect except not be plastic. People encounter them regularly and the plastic variety never represented a significant portion of the problem. So in some ways the imposition of paper straws feels insulting. No one is going after tire manufacturers or commercial fishing companies, but straws got taken first. It feels like the whole campaign to guilt people for their personal carbon footprint. It’s just so atomized and so far downstream of actual issues.
I honestly don't get the point of straws, other than for handicapped people or small children (who have washable sippy bottles and cups anyway). Are people that bad at drinking from cups and glasses?
The can protect sensitive teeth, prevent smearing of makeup, make it easier to drink while walking, help prevent spills of colored liquids onto stainable shirts, help modulate the speed at which you are drinking, keep ice from hitting your teeth, make it easier to finish think drinks like shakes, allow people who are convalescing to drink easily, and probably some things I didn’t think of.
It's the straw + lid combo that is most advantageous. It lets you drink in a vehicle without worrying about spilling. Reusable options like sippy cups are a non-starter for any sort of takeout or fast food.
I recently spent a week in Texas and I must say, the disposable plastic bags and plastic straws were a big improvement in quality of life. I'd gladly pay some extra fees to offset the environmental damage. Banning such things seems like an emotional move, not an evidence-driven approach to improving the environment.
Sippy cup lids like they've got at Starbucks now aren't too bad. Enough height that you get most of the spill control from a flat lid plus a straw. Sometimes I miss drinking from the bottom up, but it's ok enough for me. Certainly better than a paper straw, yuck.
> And, for what it's worth, people who complain about paper straws remind me of sulky toddlers. Just FYI.
Banning plastic straws was a useless feel-good measure that raised costs and reduced quality of life (ever so slightly). It makes no difference to the ocean, as Western countries don't have rivers of trash flowing directly into it, and straws are an insignificant amount of plastic relative to everything else we use.
So I'll complain readily about plastic straws because terrible legislation turns the majority center against the cause. We could have used that political capital and public support to make a real difference, but now we're worse off than where we started.
Issues are not the Highlander: there can be more than one. Single-use plastics just happen to be a problem as well.
And, for what it's worth, people who complain about paper straws remind me of sulky toddlers. Just FYI.