I think because you really dont need a straw. For many foods you need a fork of knife of spoon to consume whatever it is but i cant think of any drink that you cant just drink out of the cup instead of using a straw. I for one despise plastic bags, single use containers and plastic cutlery and plates etc. I try to bring reusable wherever I go and even for those big gatherings seek eco friendly alternatives. We actually spend the extra spend the money on palm leave plates. I hope for the day where everyone has a picnic basket in their car with reusable everything concerning food. Bringing your own dishes and cutlery to large parties would be an awesome cultural norm. bio degradable take away containers should be mandatory, plastic bags illegal.
I think it has more to do with the fact that the majority of people don’t actually need a straw. It’s very easy to sip from the cup. If we compare it to eating spaghetti or some other food, you kinda need a utensil to eat it. We should definitely consider all plastic a problem, but straws definitely are not necessary in order to drink a beverage.
Every place that has plastic spoons & forks also have plastic straws but not every place that has plastic straws have plastic spoons & forks.
– Convenience stores that don’t have hot food but soda fountains.
– Coffee shops or juice stores (Jamba, smoothie king) that don’t have food but only drinks.
– Restaurants that have metal utensils but plastic straws.
Other silverware disposables are less common, so they don’t fall under as much scrutiny. Straws are at every coffee/shake place, and every restaurant. It’s mostly that they’re visible. Normal plastic product packaging and soda/water bottles are many many times more destructive to the environment than disposable food plastics. So is it misguided ire? Probably. Is it gonna kill us that CA is limiting straws? No
Public backlash over e.g. turtles being harmed by straws in the ocean.
Companies noticed the anger, loudly and publicly started using fewer straws, and (correctly) assumed that customers would fail to consider how small of a fraction of the waste stream is straws specifically. That way, they can sidestep calls for regulation or more drastic options.
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