Are Paper Straws Really Better for the Planet?

In short? Not really.

They actually cause 80% more greenhouse gases than plastic, they eat into our forests and natural resources, use tonnes of chemicals in production and you can't even recyclable majority of them! (Food contaminated products are unable to be recycled.) [source: Paper Versus Plastic]

So not only do they go soggy, but now we're adding more pollution while cutting down more trees?!

Surely they're still better than using plastic, right?

Well, not exactly.

The main reason plastic straws are so bad for the environment is how they're thrown away. Most of the time they end up on our streets, in our water systems and then carried to our beaches and ocean. From there, along with other single-use plastics items, they are consumed by marine life and cause havoc on our underwater ecosystems.

Did you know, before the corona virus outbreak Australians were using 10 million straws every day, and 3.5 billion a year. [source: cleanup.org.au]

To put it in perspective, if you (one person) were to throw away 1 million straws, you'd need to drop a straw every second for 32 days straight. However if you were to throw away 1 billion straws you'd need to drop a straw every second over the next 37 years. We're producing over double of that in just one year. Yikes.

Wait. So how exactly can paper create more greenhouse gases than plastic?

Well, it takes fossil fuels and electricity to power the machines which create plastic and paper items. Not many people know this, but paper straws and products require more energy to create than plastic. Because of this, the production emits more greenhouse gases than plastic.

So why don't we just recycle the paper straws and cut out all that production waste?

Not to sink your ship here, but to recycle the paper straws that don't have any food residue on them, or that have been placed in the right bin - it takes 91% more energy to recycle one pound (0.453592 kilos) of paper than it does for one pound of plastic. [source: Paper Versus Plastic]

Okay, so now that it turns out using paper isn't much better for the environment, where does that leave us? How can we lower our ecological footprint?

There are a bunch of different ways lower everyones negative environmental impact. The smallest things can actually have a huge positive outcome.

Some ways we can do this is:

1. Being more aware of the items and products you're choosing. Remember that every product has had a lifetime before it was that product and will have a life after it's been used.

2. Making simple switches, like using a tupperwear container rather than plastic wrapping leftover dinners, or a reusable coffee cup for your daily commute. From using reusable items you lower your rubbish and waste from hitting landfill for the next 80-200 years!

3. When isolation has been lifted and being able to go out to your locals, requesting no straw at all, or using straws that are either:

A) A natural byproduct/a product created as a result of another product like wheat straws,

B) Made-by-hand and supporting those who make it like coconut palm leaf straws, or

C) Reusable, compostable, biodegradable and from a low-energy production like bamboo straws.

Getting your locals to use straws like Rye Wheat straws, Coconut Palm Leaf straws or Bamboo straws in their venues, businesses or catering events encourages environmental consciousness and lowers their negative ecological footprints.

Carrying your own Bamboo straw or (reusable straw) is also a great idea, or if you're having people over or kids parties and need straws, purchasing plant-based is a good idea.

Most importantly though, just remember one tiny change has a huge compounding effect. So even if all you're currently doing is taking your own reusable bag to a grocery store, it's stopping a plastic bag hitting the ocean or landfill every trip. That's saving the planet 200 years worth of pollution every visit, so it's all worth it.

Don't let the shift towards a greener future become overwhelming, you don't need to be an eco-warrior to do something! Start small and start today.