Starbucks to Stop Using Plastic Straws

Starbucks, the international food and beverage company, announced that it will stop using plastic straws to reduce the risk of plastic waste in the oceans. According to the Associated Press, as calls for waste reduction grow worldwide, Starbucks is the first major company to halt the use of plastic straws. Although plastic straws constitute a small portion of the waste that ends up in the ocean, they have become a focal point for public attention. A week after Starbucks announced in its hometown of Seattle, USA, that it would stop using plastic straws and spoons for drinks, the company stated on Monday that by 2020 it would replace plastic straws and lids with recyclable materials like paper. Some cities in Florida have already banned plastic straws, and cities like New York and San Francisco are considering such bans. The issue of plastic straws gained public attention in 2015 when a video showing a plastic straw being removed from a sea turtle's nose attracted widespread viewership. In February, the food and beverage company Dunkin' Donuts announced that it would eliminate plastic from its cups and containers by 2020. Shareholders of the McDonald's chain opposed a proposal in May that called for a report on plastic straws. However, the company recently announced that it would soon use paper straws in Ireland and the UK and is also considering replacing plastic straws in some parts of the US. McDonald's has also stated that by 2025, it will use environmentally friendly materials for its drink cups and product packaging. One reason large companies say this change takes time is to ensure access to sufficient alternative materials. Laura Creon, a marketing manager at a food packaging manufacturer and distributor, says that demand for non-plastic straws has significantly increased in recent months. She adds, 'Our biggest challenge is finding new sources to meet this demand.' Despite plastic straws becoming a significant environmental issue, studies show that they account for only 4% of plastic waste by number and an even smaller percentage by weight. Plastic straws make up only 2,000 tons of the total 9 million tons of plastic that ends up in the oceans each year. An environmental advocacy group states that the five largest sources of plastic waste are plastic bags, water bottles, food packaging, disposable cups and containers, and finally plastic straws. In this context, '10 million plastic bags' are consumed worldwide every minute. The European Union is proposing a ban on certain plastic products, designing plastic-eating enzymes to combat environmental pollution, and the largest garbage patch in the oceans is twice the size of the state of Texas.