Disabled rights groups speak out against straw ban - Sensationalist Headlines

Some disabled rights advocates are speaking out against an emerging trend of restaurants and other companies phasing out the use of plastic straws with drink orders, arguing that the alternatives can be inadequate for customers with various disabilities. Plastic straws have been disappearing from coffee shops, airlines, hotels and more amid concerns that they frequently wind up as ocean waste, presenting an environmental hazard. The campaign against them accelerated this week amid news that major companies like Starbucks, American Airlines and Hyatt are drastically reducing their use, in some cases opting for straw-less plastic tops on some drinks instead. But disability advocates say they feel the campaign against plastic straws is being waged without adequate input from disabled customers. “The disability community is concerned with the ban because it was implemented without the input of their daily life experience,” says Katherine Carroll, policy analyst at the Rochester, New York-based Center for Disability Rights. “Plastic straws are an accessible way for people with certain disabilities to consume food and drinks, and it seems the blanket bans are not taking into account that they need straws and also that plastic straw replacements are not accessible to people.” Disability Advocates Speak Out Against Plastic Straw Ban | Time Straws are such a tiny problem in the grand scheme of plastic pollution anyway.

I thought the plan was to implement paper straws

I dislike the idea that straws are what's destroying the environment. Personal waste isn't the issue, it's larger companies who have been skirting environmental regulations.

I hate to sound like a dick, but are restaurants also in the wrong for not offering disposable plastic crutches? If you really must have a straw to drink, why not have your own?

You do sound like a dick.

You're going to give people aneurysms

Popular alternatives for plastic straws include options made from biodegradable paper and metal, the latter of which are typically reusable once cleaned. But Jamie Szymkowiak, founder of the Scotland-based “One in Five” disabled rights campaign, says those options may not suit people with certain disabilities. For instance, Szymkowiak — who says he has arthrogryposis, a condition that affects the movement of his joints — says some disabled people can take a longer time to drink, leading paper straws to get soggy or even disintegrate, potentially increasing the risk of choking. He added that metal straws are usually inflexible, making them more difficult to use for people who have a mobility-related impairment.

I guess it's cool that western countries are moving away from plastic straws, but this is a millionth part of the solution. To reduce plastic waste in oceans dealing with China, India and a few African countries is required. They practically cause all of it. 95% of plastic in oceans comes from just ten rivers

The issue isn't plastic, the issue is people dumping their rubbish on the ground and in waterways.

Are you on medication/alcohol or are you just genuinely brainless? There's a difference between expecting a restaurant to offer a slight accommodation for people with disabilities (such as my partner, who occasionally suffers from spasms) and demanding your dumbshit "disposable plastic crutches".

So why is the ocean full of plastic? Plastic, though sold by stores, is personal waste. We buy it and then we throw it away. Though this ban may be harmful to a small amount of disabled individuals, I think it is a good step forward. A move like this can't be stopped to consider the impact on each and every group. I mainly say that because most people who need straws can easily find an alternative. Plastic isn't going away, and if a couple people need to keep using plastic straws, that is fine. I believe I had also heard that some of the stores banning straws were still keeping them in the store, but that they would only give them out if asked.

I did read the article. It says that paper straws degrade, and that due to that reason, they are not acceptable for handicapped people. The article did not mention owning your own straw (out of durable plastic or light metal). Plastic straws are an environmental disaster. There is no reason that I am aware of that these people could not be using reusable straws that have properties that work for their disability. Why?

Isn't the entire point to be disposable? They're not turning into goop the moment they put the straw in their drink

and the personal waste issue doesn't come from America or Europe, it's Africa, India, and parts of Asia which are dumping all their trash into rivers

Only became aware that metal straws, etc could be an issue with some with disabilities when a friend shared it. Straws are estimated to be about 4% by piece of plastic waste globally and much less so by weight. Another source as to why alternatives won't work with some disabilities range from metal straws conducting heat, and the difficulty of cleaning them for some. And biodegradeables and wax paper purpodedly fall apart to easily. The article also hits the nail on the head about why straws instrad of anything else: In a post detailing how the plastic straw became the cause du jour for those who love the oceans, Dune Ives, executive director for the Lonely Whale Foundation, wrote, "We found plastic water bottles too endemic, plastic bags already somewhat politicized, and no viable alternative for the plastic cup in ALL markets." So they chose plastic straws, a "playful" alternative and a " 'gateway plastic' to the larger and more serious plastic pollution conversation I'm skeptical that there isn't something more biodegradeable that's similar to single use plastics whilst being safe for those with disabilities (PLA is a good semi biodegradeable plastic that can be food safe because its made of corn startch and has a much higher softening point than boiling point of water). Straws are a start and definitely something we should wean off of. But there are definitely bigger fish to fry with bags, bottles, etc. The world needs to do more than just feel good bans. We need collection of current waste, closing the wastestream by pumping it back into the raw materials stream, as an estimated 91% of global plastic isn't recycled (Because commodity plastics are thermoplastics which can be nigh infinitely recycleable if you close the waste stream). And we need more methods like PETase that can breakdown PET plastic already in landfills and oceans. Hell even mealworms can breakdown styrofoam: https://youtu.be/TS9PWzkUG2s .

With my experience with paper straws, they start to break down pretty quickly. For hot fluids, it's probably way quicker. I can easily see that being a problem for a lot of people.

The other thing with Paper straws is the ends close up too easily. When my Grandmother was at the end of her life and her motor skills had deteriorated, it could take a few minutes to drink some water through a straw. We found that the saliva left on the Paper Straws would cause it to kind of collapse in on itself and we'd have to give her a new one. We did try going with the Enviro-friendly route, but it just was not practical compared to Plastic Straws. The ban on Plastic straws feels like they've looked at all the waste in the Oceans / Rivers / Land etc and found that Straws would be the easiest to ban and just picked it without thinking of the consequences.

There's undoubtedly a need for non-paper straws, I just can't see why they'd possibly need to be disposable.

Bottled water is an atrocity and if you live in an area with safe tap water but still insist on buying bottled water, you're awful.

It's not straws from western nations destroying the water ways. Most pollution entering the water ways comes from impoverished nations who don't have the ability, energy, or resources to deal with their waste properly. It enters the waterways, and moves downstream. Yes, we should all be doing our part to correct the issue and save our place on the planet, but in all honesty, it is a mis use of energy and a focus on the wrong elements of the issue, IMO.

Aren't cups for like everything already paper based? Like coffee cups? They have a sealant or something.

it'd be nice if stores would start offering reusable metal straws, some of which are flexible. obviously the folks who need it shouldn't have to rely on always having their own straw but it's my opinion that everyone should be bringing their own straws if they want to use them and they should be bringing their own containers if the places allow for it.

Solution: Provide paper straws by default, if a customer requires an accomodation give them a plastic straw. Bam, save the environment and those that need plastic straws still get them. I don't see why this needs to be all or nothing.

Even if you recycle the bottles? I mean, I understand if you're one of those people who just throws away all your plastic with all the other garbage, but if you're being responsible and recycling everything, I don't see what the issue is. The real problem is that a lot of "recycling centers" don't actually recycle a thing - they just ship it all to China. That needs to change.

You kind of explained the issue to yourself there Recycling isn't usually recycled.

Feel good measures like plastic straw and shopping bag bans do fuck all of use while inconveniencing the very people you need on board to support the actually meaningful plans.

There are plenty of options when it comes to reusable straws so just use them. I got a big bag of metal straws and cleaners for £5. Things are barely bigger than a pen so I don't see why they can't be brought out.

Thanks for clarifying that.

Plastic recycling in many countries is a joke, a lot of it ends up being shipped out to China where they dump it in a big heap, the rest is mainly burnt with only a small percentage being recycled. Straws, bags and other disposables only count for a small percentage, the real problem is consumer products that we have to constantly throw away due to manufacturers trying to maximize their profit margins, synthetic clothing which sheds plastic fibers when washed and dumping from third world countries, this is just a feel good measure that will have practically no impact in the long run, frankly without serious effort from all countries and manufacturers things are going to remain exactly as they are, or likely get worse as demand for plastics continues to grow, biodegradable plastics are also not currently an option, they are universally more expensive and in some cases do not have the necessary physical properties, I.E polycarbonate, composites, phenolics, etc.

What about reusable plastic straws?