Board 8 > Should plastic straws be banned?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Why or why not?
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I dont know neonreaper, but if i may ask did you happen to use a non plastic straw today
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Yes. Instead, just use the paper straw covers as straws!
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I typically don't use straws but why are they banned in some places? Is it an enviromental reason?
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Mitochondriagon posted...

I typically don't use straws but why are they banned in some places? Is it an enviromental reason?

Yes, but straws are a very small percentage of plastic waste so it's more of a way to make people feel like they're making an impact than anything else. Doesn't make sense to ban them imo when all of the alternatives suck and they're not a major problem.

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Literally feels before reals slacktivism.

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who needs a straw besides babies and 90 year olds who can't have their drink without spilling

ban plastic straws, ban paper straws and anyone with an iron straw I will force it down your goddamn esophagus
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Unless you're just drinking water, straws are better for your teeth

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no, paper straws suck ass

like generally im in favor of the environment or whatever, but Id rather burn this whole planet to the ground than have to use paper straws
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LordoftheMorons posted...

Mitochondriagon posted...

I typically don't use straws but why are they banned in some places? Is it an enviromental reason?

Yes, but straws are a very small percentage of plastic waste so it's more of a way to make people feel like they're making an impact than anything else. Doesn't make sense to ban them imo when all of the alternatives suck and they're not a major problem.

The best part is the plastic straws mcdonalds used to give out WERE recyclable yet people continued to throw them in the trash. We are replacing a recyclable product with a recyclable product because no one bothered to recycle them the first fo around.

Dragonair posted...

who needs a straw besides babies and 90 year olds who can't have their drink without spilling

This. Why would anyone ever need a straw? If you're the type of person who needs a straw, bring your own, weirdo.
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LordoftheMorons posted...

Unless you're just drinking water, straws are better for your teeth

but it still won't help you lose weight
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Dragonair posted...

who needs a straw besides babies and 90 year olds who can't have their drink without spilling

ban plastic straws, ban paper straws and anyone with an iron straw I will force it down your goddamn esophagus

Besides the last part about iron straws, this.
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Glass straws are actually pretty cool tbh
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Dragonair posted...

but it still won't help you lose weight

I mean

Obviously?

I don't see how that has anything to do with what I said

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MawiIe posted...

Dragonair posted...

who needs a straw besides babies and 90 year olds who can't have their drink without spilling

This. Why would anyone ever need a straw? If you're the type of person who needs a straw, bring your own, weirdo.

often when you buy a drink the cups have lids with little straw holes and you put a straw in the lid to drink from the cup

this is very normal human behavior that is not specifically for weirdos
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Not exactly, but providing (or just outright using) alternatives should be fine as well.
As said, straws are typically not a major portion of plastic waste anyway. I use plastic straws like, what, 5 times a month? Single use plastic and packaging are worse.
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As others have mentioned, banning them has a negligible environmental impact because most pollution is from large companies, not your average Joe.

Banning them also puts more stress into the lives of disabled people, so it's rather ableist to just write straw users off as either babies or elderly.
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plastic straws produce such little waste that it's dumb to ban them anywhere.


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Yes but it should be as part of a bigger overall movement.
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Peace___Frog posted...

Banning them also puts more stress into the lives of disabled people, so it's rather ableist to just write straw users off as either babies or elderly.

yeah but is it though?
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MawiIe posted...

Peace___Frog posted...

Banning them also puts more stress into the lives of disabled people, so it's rather ableist to just write straw users off as either babies or elderly.

yeah but is it though?

Yes, it is
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Not until we have a good alternative. Paper straws suck
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Nah but maybe make it the default less often

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MrGreenonion posted...

Yes, it is

I mean it's really not, if you have a disability that requires you to use a straw, just bring your own. It's not like restaurants have disposable wheelchairs or insulin pumps, stop being fake woke
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I have a metal straw
It's actually convenient imo
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i mean amusingly paper straws have sometimes ended up worse for the environment than plastic straws so from any angle it's a crap idea.
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MawiIe posted...

MrGreenonion posted...

Yes, it is

I mean it's really not, if you have a disability that requires you to use a straw, just bring your own. It's not like restaurants have disposable wheelchairs or insulin pumps, stop being fake woke

wheelchairs and insulin pumps dont specifically facilitate the consumption of the things restaurants sell, its not really comparable

also how did the person who needs a wheelchair get inside the restaurant in the first place without their own wheelchair? And why would a wheelchair need to be disposable?
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MoogleKupo141 posted...

insulin pumps dont specifically facilitate the consumption of the things restaurants sell, its not really comparable

They absolutely do.
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I mean, unless im confused about what insulin pumps do, I think the person using it is going to need it whether theyre in a restaurant or not, its not specifically relevant to the business
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The same goes for straws if the person is in a situation where they can't drink water from a cup. Sooner or later they'll need to drink water again, they can't just drink water at home and in restaurants
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im not familiar enough with the disabled person drinking experience to make an informed statement here, but theoretically they must be finding some way to drink water currently without carrying their own straw around otherwise none of them would ever need to be using plastic straws because theyd already have the one they use to drink water to not die (?)
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http://cdrnys.org/blog/disability-dialogue/grasping-at-straws-the-ableism-of-the-straw-ban/

heres an actual explanation from actual disabled people. It mostly seems pretty reasonable.
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LordoftheMorons posted...

Yes, but straws are a very small percentage of plastic waste so it's more of a way to make people feel like they're making an impact than anything else. Doesn't make sense to ban them imo when all of the alternatives suck and they're not a major problem.

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redrocket posted...

LordoftheMorons posted...

Yes, but straws are a very small percentage of plastic waste so it's more of a way to make people feel like they're making an impact than anything else. Doesn't make sense to ban them imo when all of the alternatives suck and they're not a major problem.

It and all plastic has been a small thing always, it has just built up to a big thing since. A straw, not so bad, everyone thinking it's just a straw _every_ time? That's how we got here.
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I've been to a couple restaurants where the policy is that they have straws and they'll give you one if you ask, but you have to ask specifically for it. Seems like a decent way to go, although you can't really legislate that kind of behavior, it has to be kind of all or nothing if you really want to completely eliminate the waste. Overall I think it's a good idea but it needs to be part of a much larger push to eliminate plastic waste.

ChichiriMuyo posted...

It and all plastic has been a small thing always, it has just built up to a big thing since. A straw, not so bad, everyone thinking it's just a straw _every_ time? That's how we got here.

Youre missing the point. Even all straws taken together make up just a tiny percentage of plastic waste. Which is why

Paratroopa1 posted...

it needs to be part of a much larger push to eliminate plastic waste.

or else its just

a way to make people feel like they are making an impact

NOT COINCIDENTALLY, it is of course the common people who bear the burden of this meaningless gesture, as opposed to the mega corporations who actually generate 99% of all waste and would have to change their practices to actually make a difference.

In case I havent been clear enough, initiatives like this are just a smokescreen to pacify the masses into accepting the continuation of business as usual while thinking they actually accomplished something.

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I like straws, ice hurts my teeth
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Paratroopa1 posted...

I've been to a couple restaurants where the policy is that they have straws and they'll give you one if you ask, but you have to ask specifically for it. Seems like a decent way to go, although you can't really legislate that kind of behavior, it has to be kind of all or nothing if you really want to completely eliminate the waste. Overall I think it's a good idea but it needs to be part of a much larger push to eliminate plastic waste.

Going back to the disabled person thing, I've seen disabled people talk about how they've been denyed straws when they ask because they don't "look disabled enough" for them and it would be wasteful. But I do think just having optional plastic straws is the way to go.

Basically, this is just more evidence to me that there needs to be a much bigger push to eliminate plastics and that people really need to get off their high horses and presenting this one issue as making a difference. It's a symptom of a huge issue.

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Using a paper straw right now and its fucking useless

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LordoftheMorons posted...

Using a paper straw right now and its fucking useless

how does your disability keep you from drinking from a cup?
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mandate oreo stix everywhere
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MawiIe posted...

how does your disability keep you from drinking from a cup?

No disability. I just dont want to damage my teeth more than necessary for no reason by not using a straw.

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paper straws suck

or rather they don't suck enough
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LordoftheMorons posted...

MawiIe posted...

how does your disability keep you from drinking from a cup?

No disability. I just dont want to damage my teeth more than necessary for no reason by not using a straw.

oh so you're just a straight up lunatic.

I guess I was thinking physical disability but I overlooked this possibility
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Sorry but are paper straws not suitable for disabled people? I'm not sure how the disability requiring a straw thing is relevant to the question of whether we should have plastic straws.

paper straws arent suitable for anyone because they suck ass
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I don't understand the intense disdain for paper straws?

they just sort of fall apart before youre done drinking the thing because paper isnt good at being wet
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