Did you know the United States uses 500 million plastic straws every day? And like most garbage, many straws end up in our oceans, floating aimlessly, never to biodegrade. It’s estimated that by 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Is that the kind of world we want to live in?
Think about the life cycle of a plastic straw: after its one-time use in a beverage, it’s thrown away. It finds itself in a heap of garbage that is sent to a landfill or a barge that’s sent out into the ocean. As plastic, it does not decompose or biodegrade but instead breaks down into even smaller pieces of plastic. Every piece of plastic that has ever existed still exists on this planet. As plastic breaks into smaller pieces, it is often mistaken for food and ingested by fish, sea turtles, birds, and mammals. Many of these creatures die of starvation – their bellies full, but no nutrients absorbed. When we eat fish or meat, we too are susceptible to consume these toxins.
But we can do something about this. We can Stop Sucking.
1. Avoid purchasing plastic straws at the grocery store. Instead, buy reusable stainless steel or bamboo/reed straws. (I bring my reusable straw any time I travel, and have started packing it in my daily purse!)
2. Tell your waiter or waitress, “No straw please!” with your drink order.
3. Challenge somebody (or a local restaurant!) to stop sucking with you.
It’s easy to make a difference, and the time is now to do so.
This albatross died of starvation. The contents of its stomach were almost entirely plastic. This image is not mine and has circulated the internet and social media because of its stark imagery.
Maggie Dewane 