We are strangling our planet one plastic straw at a time. To find a solution to the plastic straw problem, we don’t need to come up with new inventions, we need to revert back to old ways of drinking through a straw. When it comes to straws, we should have stopped tinkering with this invention a long time ago, and we would have saved our planet a lot of grief.
History of the straw
Did you know that the first known straw dates as far back as 3,000 BC? That’s right, the first straw sighting was a gold tube, inlaid with precious blue stones found in a Sumerian tomb. The Argentinians and their neighbors are all believed to have used metallic straws to drink their teas. Next came the rye grass straw, followed by the invention of the paper straw in 1888.
Oh, if only we had stopped there. It seems that our ancestors had the solution to the plastic straw problem all along. They were all using either reusable straws or straws made from natural and biodegradable materials.
All straws that came before the plastic straw would have all been monumentally better for the environment, and we wouldn’t be trying to reverse and overcome an overwhelming plastic problem.
Eliminating the plastic straw
Hindsight is 20/20, but the problem is here and we need to do something about it. There are two groups that need to take part in eliminating the plastic straw: the service industry and consumers.
Restaurants need to reduce or eliminate the plastic straw use
If you run a restaurant you have a few options for reducing the use of plastic straws:
- Stop using them. Find eco-friendly alternatives, or just stop using straws.
- Stop offering straws to your consumers. Only give straws if a customer specifically asks for the straw.
Consumers need to stop using plastic straws
If you are a consumer, you also have a responsibility to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic straws.
- Get your own reusable straw and bring it with you.
- Drink out of the container, glass, can, bottle, etc. You don’t need a straw.
- Tell your server right up front that you don’t want any plastic straws. If they bring it, even if you don’t use it, it will most likely get tossed. Once it is brought to a table, it is considered “used” and will be thrown in the trash.
Sunrise Sanitation provides waste management services to residents, businesses, and job-sites in West Virginia and Maryland. We also offer recycling services and are always looking to improve our services to provide more eco-friendly waste management solutions to all our customers.
