If you follow me to any extent, the chances are that you have seen me posting about my hatred for plastic straws.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlaLpLMHq7k/?taken-by=thebalkanista
I have been aware of their underlying evil for quite a while now and this was really driven home to me when we did the last beach clean-up in Durres. Apart from quite literally thousands of plastic bottle caps, I found hundreds of straws in every possible colour, size, and length. Not only are these a plague on the beauty of our natural environment but they are not biodegradable and they cause danger, death, and poisoning to the sea creatures that encounter them.
Every day across the globe, around 2 billion of these plastic straws are used. This is a conservative estimate. Once used, they end up in the trash, discarded without a second thought. Even if you put these with recyclable goods, the chances of them actually making it to the recycling plant and not falling through the cracks are slim to none.
These straws end up in a landfill or on the banks of our rivers. Each time the rain comes they are washed down to our beaches and shorelines. Once there, they either end up in the sand or are washed into the sea, just waiting for a little turtle to come along and eat it for dinner.
I will say it again, these straws do not fully break down- instead, they turn into microplastics which are then ingested by fish and other sea creatures completely accidentally. These microplastics are poisonous and toxic and 50% of all sea-life that ingests it will die. This totals around 100 million sea creatures needlessly dying every year, just because we want a plastic straw with our ice tea.
And what about those of us that eat seafood? Globally we consume an average of 20kg each, per year, of seafood and fish, most of which contain these microplastics. If these substances are killing our sea life in droves, what do you think the long-term effect of it is on our bodies?
Those straws that do not decompose into microplastics that then poison animals and us, are often eaten by over-enthusiastic sea creatures such as birds, turtles, and even porpoises. Thinking they are chasing after a brightly coloured fish, they consume straws which then proceed to rip their insides to shreds.
Still want to drink your cocktail through a plastic straw?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkmtaU2nSAo/?taken-by=thebalkanista
There are plenty of alternatives to using plastic straws, here are my favourites listed below.
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Don’t use a straw at all.
If you are an adult with full control over your movement and faculties then there really is little need to use a straw. You have two hands, two arms, and two bits of flesh on your face that are just perfect for facilitating the movement of liquid from a cup, into your mouth. Let us be honest, straws are really not a necessity and unless you are a small child, have extremely sensitive teeth, or are not able to drink without spilling, then using a straw at all is a tad excessive. But, I understand that people like them so…
2. Invest in a metal straw.
Metal straws are pretty damn cool. Stylish, environmentally friendly, and easily stored in your bag or pocket, these bad boys are the new cool kids on the block. They come with a pipe cleaner, or you can just put them in the dishwasher or boiling water and they are clean in a few moments. Bar owners can reuse them multiple times, the same way which you do with metal forks or wine glasses, and they can also offer to sell them to customers that want their own.
3. Try a different material straw.
You can try bamboo straws, paper straws, or even spaghetti with a large hole (!!) to have the same effect. Whilst these are not as good as option 1 or 2, they are better than using a plastic straw!
Dear Members of the Public
If you are someone that likes a nice frappe on a summers day or a cheeky cocktail or three at the weekend, then I implore you to ditch the straw. Tell your waiter “pa pipa ju lutem” and insist that they do not bring you one with your drink. If you have a chance, you can even explain to them why you do not want a straw and this way you can help to spread the word.
You can purchase your very own, shiny, stylish, S/S18 metal straw from sites such as Amazon and eBay and they shouldn’t cost more than EUR1 each. This is where I got mine, and they deliver to Albania! They come in packs of four so be sure to give one or two to a friend to spread the love.
When you are out and about and using your straw, be sure to take a picture of it in action and Instagram it with the hashtag PaPip and Tirana. This way people will be able to see the revolution take place in real time, and we all know that social media is the best way of spreading the word.
Dear Bar/Cafe/Restaurant Owners.
Please stop using plastic straws! Get your waiters to ask your clients “would you like a straw?” and you will be surprised how many people say “no”. Stop serving straws as a standard and at least give people the choice. If they are adamant that they want a straw, give them a metal one (tell them they can either buy them from you or give them back after) and watch the smile appear on their faces. Because these things are new and novel, they are guaranteed to put pictures on social media which will help promote your brand and give you the image of being an eco-friendly and environmentally conscious establishment. Win-win.
As for cleaning, they come with cleaning devices so you can wash them in the same way that you do your other cutlery, or you can put them in the dishwasher. They do not take a lot of work to keep clean, in the same way, that your knives, forks, and cups don’t. Don’t be lazy and instead consider making a difference.
Still not convinced?
Plastic straws are being banned left, right, and centre across the world and there is no reason why Albania should be left behind. The Rooms Bar and Bistro in Blloku is already the first establishment to outlaw plastic straws completely, so why are you not doing the same?
Here is a list of countries and companies that have banned or are in the process of phasing out single-use plastic straws.
- McDonalds Australia
- Starbucks
- Hyatt
- American Airlines
- The British Government
- Marriot
- Costa Coffee
- Malta
- The City of Seattle
- The State of California
- The State of Hawaii
- The State of New York
- The State of Florida
- Taiwan
- France
- The City of New Dheli
- Rwanda
- Thousand and thousands of independent businesses in every single country in the world.
Don’t get left behind.
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