Right: Not everyone wishes to see plastic, non-resusable straws banned. Many people with limited movement due to a disability claim that not being able to use a plastic straw in places like restaurants will affect their quality of life.
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Background information
History of plastic straws
A straw is a prepared tube used to suck a beverage out of a container. Historians theorize the first straws were cut from dried wheat shafts and they were named accordingly.
An American inventor, Marvin C. Stone, patented the modern drinking straw, made of paper, in 1888. He wound paper around a pencil to make a thin tube, slid out the pencil from one end, and applied glue between the strips. He later refined the straw by building a machine that would coat the outside of the paper with wax to hold it together. Plastic straws began to gain popularity following World War II, especially within the United States. Plastics were growing increasingly cheap to produce at this time and so too were fast-food meals, each of them accompanied by sodas in to-go cups with crosshairs that easily tore apart flimsier paper straws. Overtime, the plastic straw overtook the paper as the standard in eateries across the United States and, eventually, across the globe.
The composition of plastic straws
Plastic straws are generally made of polypropylene. Polypropylene is a resin made by polymerizing, or stringing together, molecules of a propylene gas. When a very large number of these molecules are chemically hooked together they form a solid plastic material. Polypropylene was first developed in the mid-1950s and has many properties which make it suitable for use in straw manufacturing. The resin is light-weight, has fair abrasion resistance, good dimensional stability, and good surface hardness. It typically does not experience problems with stress cracking and it offers excellent chemical resistance at higher temperatures. Another key attribute of this plastic is that it is safe for contact with food and beverages. Polypropylene is approved for indirect contact with food and, in addition to drinking straws, is used to make many types of food packaging such as margarine and yogurt containers, cellophane-type wrapping, and various bottles and caps.
Plastic straw bans and proposals around the world
United Kingdom
On April 19, 2018, ahead of Earth Day, a proposal to phase out single-use plastics was announced during the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government. This will include plastic drinking straws, which cannot be recycled and contribute to ocean deterioration, damaging ecosystems and wildlife. It is estimated that as of 2018, about 23 million straws are used and discarded daily in the United Kingdom.
In a press release, Prime Minister, Theresa May, also committed to calling on other Commonwealth countries to 'join in the fight against plastic pollution'.
A few months before, Queen Elizabeth II banned the plastic straws and other one-use plastic items from her palaces.
Canada
After the British proposition, fellow Commonwealth nation Canada was considering banning the straws too. An unofficial online survey showed that over 70 percent of voters agreed with a plastic straw ban.
Starting in 2019, a ban of plastic straws will go into effect in the City of Vancouver, due to a vote in May 2018 that included banning other single-use items.
European Union
In May 2018, the European Union proposed a ban on single-use plastics including straws, cotton buds, cutlery, balloon sticks and drink stirrers.
The European Union's broad proposal would not only ban plastic, single-use eating and drinking utensils, but also limit or restrict other plastic goods such as beverage containers, filters on tobacco products, and even fishing gear.
United States
In 2015, Williamstown, Massachusetts banned straws that are not recyclable or compostable as part of its Article 42 polystyrene regulations.
On November 7, 2017, the city of Santa Cruz, California implemented a ban on all non-recyclable to-go containers, straws, and lids but allowed for 6 months for all businesses to come into compliance before enforcement would occur. On January 1, 2018, the city of Alameda, California citing the Santa Cruz effort, implemented an immediate ban on all straws, except if requested by a customer, and gave business until July 1, 2018 when it would be required that all straws to be of compostable paper and that all other to-go containers be recyclable.
In the first half of 2018, three towns in Massachusetts banned petrochemical plastic straws directly in the case of Provincetown, and as part of broader sustainable food packaging laws in Andover and Brookline.[59] The city of Seattle implemented a ban on non-compostable disposable straws on July 1, 2018
A drinking straw ban has been proposed in New York City since May 2018. Local regulations have also been passed in Malibu, California; Davis, California; San Luis Obispo, California; Miami Beach, Florida; and Fort Myers, Florida.
A statewide California law restricting the providing of single-use plastic straws will go into effect on January 1, 2019. Under the law, restaurants will only be allowed to provide single-use plastic straws upon request. The law will apply to sit-down restaurants but exempts fast-food restaurants, delis, coffee shops, and restaurants that do takeout only. The law will not apply to to-go cups and takeaway drinks. A restaurant will receive warnings for its first two violations, then a $25 per day fine for each subsequent violation, up to a maximum of $300 in a year. In a statement released upon his signing the legislation into law, Governor Jerry Brown said "It is a very small step to make a customer who wants a plastic straw ask for it. And it might make them pause and think again about an alternative. But one thing is clear, we must find ways to reduce and eventually eliminate single-use plastic products."