It is becoming apparent we (consumer and corporations) didn't consider how detrimental plastic would become on our environment. When you fully understand the horrific impact plastic is having you sense there should urgent steps to correct this major problem. Yet it appears you don't hear much concern expressed by many.

Reusable bags. They cost like a buck at Crest. And are super convenient. Done.

i was actually shocked that when the city of Norman announced that you could no longer put plastic bags in recycling... that they didn't ban plastic bags in the city. i thought it would have been the perfect time to do so.

The pic I included shows in the impact plastics of all types is having on the environment. Certainly plastic goes far beyond plastic sacks.

Just as an interesting fact, I believe that pic is from the Citarum river in Indonesia. As far as plastic in general, there have been strides in using more environmentally friendly plastic containers. Personally, I use a reusable water bottle, and think folks can make small changes like that to help. The straw thing though is silly IMO.

Actually, it was the recent plastic straw issue that had me look at this entire problem. The attention to plastic straws seems almost laughable when consider the overall problem plastic waste is presenting.
Just as an interesting fact, I believe that pic is from the Citarum river in Indonesia. As far as plastic in general, there have been strides in using more environmentally friendly plastic containers. Personally, I use a reusable water bottle, and think folks can make small changes like that to help. The straw thing though is silly IMO.

Yet even if all those straws were suddenly washed into the sea, they'd account for about .03 percent of the 8 million metric tons of plastics estimated to enter the oceans in a given year.

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-06-07/plastic-straws-aren-t-the-problem

Actually, it was the recent plastic straw issue that had me look at this entire problem. The attention to plastic straws seems almost laughable when consider the overall problem plastic waste is presenting.

agreed... but hey. atleast it's a start at something... that has been the environmental fronts problem since the early 2000's... they kept telling us all of the problems with no tangible solutions... you have to start somewhere... and if getting rid of something as simple as a straw, actually gets people into the mindset that there is a problem, then it's a much bigger win than can be measured by it's percentage of total plastic in the ocean

Definitely, agreed. Believe me, I'm an apartment dweller with no access to city recycling services, but I still gather up all my paper, plastic, metal, and glass and take it to the main city recycling center. It's a complete and total pain in the rear, but I do it because I'm not about that land fill laziness.

agreed... but hey. atleast it's a start at something... that has been the environmental fronts problem since the early 2000's... they kept telling us all of the problems with no tangible solutions... you have to start somewhere... and if getting rid of something as simple as a straw, actually gets people into the mindset that there is a problem, then it's a much bigger win than can be measured by it's percentage of total plastic in the ocean

I have epilepsy and RA. Requiring me to carry a straw around to not really solve anything is not ok. There are other things to do. I can't lift a glass to drink from it.

I have epilepsy and RA. Requiring me to carry a straw around to not really solve anything is not ok. There are other things to do. I can't lift a glass to drink from it.

That's been a huge thing against the recent banning of straws - many, many, many folks like you need them and haven't been thought about in the "ban them all" solution. :(

i saw that several restaurants were looking at paper straws as a replacement option

Be careful of paper straws if you have allergies. Some are made from corn for example, so if you're allergic to corn that could be a problem for you. Ask the manager what they're made of before you use them.

Interesting how many local restaurants are eliminating plastic straws. Story from Fox25 - https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-city-bars-and-restaurants-join-growing-movement-against-plastic-straws

Also, check this out and the story below the video, too.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf8QHkSZr88

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/90-of-plastic-polluting-our-oceans-comes-from-just-10-rivers/