I consider myself an environmentalist but I just haven't be able to get my brain around the straw's ability to destroy the oceans and beyond.
And then this morning I read an article by columnist David Whitley that put it all together for me. He states clearly what will happen if we continue to use straws. Nothing!
Plastic straws count for at most 2,000 tons of the 9 million tons of plastic that enters the oceans annually. That's .02 percent. And the U.S. is responsible for about 1 percent of all plastic waste going into the oceans.
Whitley goes on to say that, by far, the biggest polution source is fishing nets. Also big on the list are cigarettes, plastic bottles, wrappers and bags.
So why are big corporations like Starbucks, McDonalds and Disney banning the lowly straw? It makes no sense. Whitley says that Starbucks is replacing straws with "Adult Sippy Cups." There is more plastic in these lids than in the straws.
What's wrong with us?
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