Quitting the Plastic Straw: 5 Ways to Stop Sucking

By the year 2050 there’s estimated to be more plastic in the ocean than fish. In the United States alone, over 500 million plastic straws are used. The practicality of the plastic straw is absurd – It takes about 20 minutes for someone to finish a drink with a straw, yet when the straw it tossed it will take up to 1000 years to decompose. How bizarre it that?

It hit me how impractical and borderline creepy it is that we use so much plastic without reflecting on the consequences. How have we gotten away with all this waste for so long? The good news about this problem is that it’s totally resolvable. Because for one, most people don’t really need a plastic straw to drink their drink!

Practice Makes Perfect

I think we should do the best we can, but accidentally using a disposable plastic straw is not something to beat yourself up over. There’s been many times I’ve asked for no straw and still received a straw, or I totally forget to ask for no straw. I’ve also been craving an In-N-Out shake so badly that I don’t even notice I’m sipping on a disposable straw till I’m halfway done with it. All I can say is: it happens! And you just gotta shake it off and prep for the next outing. By implementing sustainable habits we can get better living an eco-friendly lifestyle and spread love and kindness through conscious living.

Here Are 5 Ways to Suck Sustainably:

       1. The reusable plastic straw

Although made of a hardened plastic, this is an option for reusables. This guy was gifted to me by a friend

        2. The glass straw

I love using this glass straw for smoothies because the opening is slightly wider than other straws. This one is by Gaia Guy.

 

       3. The metal straw

This is another awesome option similar to the glass straw. Be mindful of use – glass and metal straws can clink on your teeth if you’re not careful. This one is by StrawSleeves.

 

     4. The paper straw

Although disposable, the paper straw is a much more sustainable option than the disposable plastic straw. These can be composted and are great for parties if you don’t have several sturdy reusables on hand.

     5. No straw

Who said you even needed one? When I don’t have a reusable straw on hand I opt out of one altogether.

Another option is the bamboo or reed straw, which I have not yet had the pleasure of using. These are reusable yet biodegradable and totally natural!

Tips to Implement This Sustainable Habit:

• Request it as part of your order, as if you’re allergic to it.
• Saying “Iced coffee, no straw” is similar to “Iced coffee, no milk” – it becomes part of your order and less compromisable. It alerts the waiter that this is a special request. I’ve found that ordering drinks this way is more effective than “I don’t need a straw,” since this comes across as passive.
• Keep one on hand. If you have it, you’ll use it. Keep one in your purse! For anyone who doesn’t have a purse I’m not sure what to suggest. A guy friend told me he wished he had a retractable straw he could fit in his pocket. Not sure if that exists (yet), so opting out completely and going strawless may be the more efficient option.
• Rinse immediately. What turns people off the most about reusable straws is how to clean them. To that I say this: a spoolie-like straw cleaning brush is all you need. I use one from Gaia Guy and it takes literally 10 seconds to clean my straw and works impressively well. The sooner you rinse, the easier it is. Viola!

Pledge with Me!

I’m pledging to stop sucking any plastic straw, and I want you to join me!

I signed up to take the Stop Sucking pledge with one of my all time favorite nonprofits, the Lonely Whale Foundation! Join the pledge through this link as a mental pledge to think before you drink and stop sucking. 😉

Click ‘create challenge url’ here! https://stopsucking.strawlessocean.org/i/vli9y6s