The last (plastic) straw 

In the recent year or two, these colourful metal straws have been hugely popular as an alternative to the usual plastic straws. Suddenly, these straws popped up in brick-and-mortar shops, online platforms, in goodie bags as freebies, for fundraising…everywhere! 

A symbol of our throwaway culture, the plastic straw is only used for a short period of time before being thrown away out of sight, with less than 20% of such plastics being recycled in Singapore (Hong, 2018). In the United States alone, it is estimated that 500 million straws are being used every day (Gibbens, 2019)! The danger from plastics not only comes from the degradation into microplastics (the secondary pollutant) which are easily ingested by aquatic organisms, they also contain thousands of additives that can leach out from the polymer matrix since they are usually not covalently bonded to the plastic (The Blastic Project, n.d.). Phthalates, a type of hazardous additive, affects the reproductive and endocrine functions of animals, and the lower molecular weight variety were found to be acutely and chronically toxic to algae, invertebrates and aquatic microorganisms (The Blastic Project, n.d.). 

Touting its reusability and durability, the metal straw seems to be a logical and suitable replacement for its plastic counterpart. However, based on a research by the Humboldt State University (HSU) in California (Appropedia, 2020), it was found that one metal steel straw actually requires 2420 kJ of energy for its materials, transport and disposal and releases 217g of carbon dioxide. In contrast, one plastic straw only uses 27.2 kJ of energy and 1.46g of carbon dioxide. To offset the embedded energy and carbon dioxide in the metal straw, it has to be reused 102 times and 149 times respectively. 

Does that mean the plastic straw produces less pollution and we should revert back to them? The metal straw may use more energy and release more carbon dioxide, but is reusable and does not end up as plastic waste in our oceans to disintegrate into microplastics, leach additives or end up in landfills. More research needs to be done on this area, and we cannot conclude that plastic straws are more environmentally friendly than metal ones simply based on the energy used and emissions released. 

Just a smidge of the plastic problem 

Plastic straws however, only make up less than 1% of all plastic we dispose of (Mc-Fall Johnsen, 2019). Nevertheless, it is a way to get people to think about the wider issue of plastic pollution and kick-start the conversation on our unsustainable ways of consumption. Similar to MINIMALISM (LINK), we should be careful not to purchase “sustainable” products just for the sake of it, but only when we need to replace our old ones. However, some suggest that if purchasing reusable items helps to get you into the habit of sustainable living, then you could go for it.

“If you’d rather buy a bunch of stuff at once to get it over with, replacing your sponge and your plastic containers and buying a set of produce bags instead of making your own, that’s fine too, she adds, as long as it helps you stick to your zero-waste goal of sending fewer things to landfill.” – Anne-Marie Bonneau, author of blog Zero-Waste Chef (Toussaint, 2019) 

 

References: 

Appropedia (2020). HSU straw analysis. Available from: https://www.appropedia.org/HSU_straw_analysis [Accessed 1 November 2020]. 

Gibbens, S. (2019). A brief history of how plastic straws took over the world. National Geographic. Available from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/news-plastic-drinking-straw-history-ban/ [Accessed 1 November 2020]. 

Hong, J. (2018). Singapore goes through 1.76 billion plastic items a year, recycles less than 20%. The Straits Times. Available from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-goes-through-167-billion-plastic-items-a-year-recycles-less-than-20-per-cent-of [Accessed 1 November 2020]. 

Mc-Fall Johnsen, M. (2019). 9 things that aren’t helping the environment as much as you think they are, from recycling to carbon offsets. Business Insider. Available from: https://www.businessinsider.com/environmental-things-that-dont-help-the-way-you-think-2019-9 [Accessed 1 November 2020]. 

The Blastic Project (n.d.). Toxicity of plastics. Available from: https://www.blastic.eu/knowledge-bank/impacts/toxicity-plastics/ [Accessed 1 November 2020]. 

Toussaint, K. (2019). Metal straws, mason jars, bamboo forks: do you have to buy more stuff to go zero waste? Vox. Available from: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/5/14/18563375/zero-waste-products-straws-jars-tote-bags [Accessed 1 November 2020].