To just want plastic straws back!

And wouldn't it be great if all of us who can would lay off plastic straws so that families like yours can continue to use them? I'm pleased you have managed to source what you need.
My autistic DC1 has multiple sensory needs in relation to eating and drinking so I feel for you.

And don’t the lids have little spouts on them to facilitate drinking without spillage? I never have any problem drinking hot coffee that way.

At the time of plastic straws being removed, several disabled groups did put a case forward. It did get some media attention but only really circulated in communities of people it impacted.

The alternatives are getting better.
Though metal straws are grim IMO. And hygiene/cleaning them has to be paramount and easy to do otherwise have to rely on others helping you.

Just to add my 2 cents worth and maybe let people see another reason plastic straws are preferable and it's not all about "just drink from the cup" or "use a paper straw"

DDS who's severely disabled can only drink using plastic straws, we were ecstatic when she started doing this from 8 years of age, before it was baby bottles and syringes .

When they banned them, the paper straws didn't work, they practically disintegrated, usually leaving lots of paper bits in her mouth which caused choking and vomiting. Due to sensory issues the silicone didn't work and the metal ones were dangerous due to biting down which most sn children do.

It's actually been a nightmare and unless in similar situation no one understands.

Her school and at therapies I found many many parents struggling feeding their children, so I found a company in the USA who bulk sell to me, they actually supply Walmart. I order from them and I give a few boxes to her school for the children who can't physically use paper straws.

And how do you manage considering that is all that is on offer?🤔

One can only assume you use your fingers. If you’d like something to help you eat food requiring utensils there are plenty of very small reusable travel cutlery sets you might want to consider investing in.

Why can't you use your mouth for thick milkshakes?

It makes you yak.🙄Seriously!

This is such a depressing thread. We are such soft pampered ponies, it's embarrassing.

Single use plastic is a terrible thing. We all know this, really.

You don't need to be terribly old to remember growing up when drinks 'on the go' really weren't a thing. The need for disposable cups, containers, straws and cutlery are an acquired habit, and one that's causing pollution on a stratospheric scale, both in terms of fossil fuels used in manufacturing and as plastic waste in oceans, watercourses, on beaches and in landfill. We don't need to be drinking (or eating) stuff out of disposable recepticles using disposable tools. It's an expectation, a fanciful preference foisted upon us by commercial interests in a shortsighted capitalist system. I've just attended a 4-day event where participants were encouraged to bring their own mugs for take-away drinks. Literally nobody moaned.

Single use plastic obviously has its uses in medicine and medical care (although, again, hospitals did use to manage), but most healthy, able-bodied adults and children bent on drinking stuff which can only be imbibed through straws can use a reusable or biodegradable alternative. To say anything else is disingenuous. My kids have used the same set of metal straws for over a decade. To whinge about needing to clean them with a narrow brush ‐wtf!? Just crack on and do it?

And, @Malahide , it's not "light-hearted". That's the problem. "Light-hearted" threads like these amplify and normalise laziness, entitlement and I'm-alright-Jack mentality. Individuals insisting their preference and convenience should take some kind of precedence in issues like these have brought us to the brink of climate collapse and profound environmental damage.

It's p a t h e t i c.

Agreed! And also wooden cutlery makes me yak. Straight into the bin!

The OP already said that she has no medical need to use a straw. If I do develop a disorder that necessitates one, I doubt my first instinct would be to post a thread about plastic straws. In fact, you might notice that disabled people are not routinely posting about this issue and are perfectly capable of advocating for themselves without a help of able-bodied individual if they choose to do so.

Surely its not beyond the skills of an average human to take off the lid and sip it? Even a fairly young child can drink from a cup/glass without spilling. (Again, disabilities aside). Or even better refuse a lid in the first place, or bring a reusable mug.

I just bought reusable copper straws and have a couple of metal forks in my car in case I want a salad on the go. We manage to bring our bags for life everywhere since the plaggy bag ban, surely you can organise your life enough to equip you with utensils you need if the paper straws offend you so much?

Nobody on this planet (barring people with specific disabilities) needs a straw.

I hate the feel of the paper ones so I use my own metal straw or just take the paper straw out.

There is a reason more and more countries around the world are doing it.

Lower ourselves to their standards. 😱You mean raise ourselves to their standards.

It’s also irrelevant what other countries are doing. There are countries in the world that do t allow girls an education. Shall we also lower ourselves to that standard? We should just do the right thing because, we’ll, it’s the right thing to do.

https://www.solinatra.com/news/plastic-bans-around-the-world

And a shed load more…..

And China

It’s not only England. Plastic straws are prohibited in the EU too.

So buy a reusable one then! Or better still stop buying those little cartons and get yourself a bottle to refill with drink from a large carton. It’s really is not that hard.

Piercing a juice box with one makes jr useless for drinking

Soup tastes much nicer from a wooden spoon than a metal one imo.

Yes thank god you do, you better hope its always like that and you dont develop disorders whereby you struggle to drink that way

Well, quite frankly, you are a bit of a then.