Paper straws in drinks cartons FFS!

[QueenOfMe]

So DC came home for the 2nd time in a row yesterday with half a carton of Innocent smoothie all over his shirt and the rest of it leaked in his lunchbox. Had the same with his lunchbox drink, Capri Sun, so I had to stop using them.

Why, oh why would they put papers straws for drinks cartons which need to be pierced!? They are almost impossible to open. When I tried one myself I got juice all over the table after 10 minutes of trying to open it.

I’m all for saving the environment but not when it’s not workable!

Similarly Tesco have paper bags now for loose fruit and veg. The damn things rip as soon as you put more than one thing in them. If you’re picking up jacket potatoes for eg. you can only put one in a bag. Same with apples and bunches of bananas! I’ve complained many times but have been told they won’t be changed back to plastic!

It’s bloody ridiculous or AIBU?

I’m absolutely not trying to shame her, but if it’s not practical for her kid to have smoothies at school, maybe try something else because they aren’t going to reintroduce plastic straws any time soon. So, what else can you do?

Yes, this. Maybe switch to water at school and keep the smoothies at home so you don’t need a straw?

I think innocent smoothies are pretty healthy (never checked the ingredient but they're not like squash or juice I thought they were just water and fruit?). That said most kids can survive till home time on water if the bottle is such an issue. Mine would always drink half a carton and leave the rest in their bag to make a mess anyway.

@RainbowsBrowniesLove-

anything in lunchboxes has to be in packages with the ingredients on so they can be checked if there's a worry about allergens.

You’re not allowed a homemade sandwich?!

Paper straws make the drink taste wierd! They're a pain in the ass

I really don’t understand some of the posters here. Yes, paper straws are shit. But what alternative do you want? Surely not to go back to allowing plastic straws and fucking up the planet for your children? Is it just that you want to have a whine about how unfair it is you can no longer have a convenient smoothie?

Yes it's frustrating that some would rather continue with so much single-use plastic than just give an alternative drink (when the option is there to do so). Kids can still enjoy smoothies at home.

@EmbarrassingMama

That's a pretty nasty thing to say about a child. Because this is a child that's being talked about.

Her mum might be an idiot for not buying a reusable straws. But a child struggling with a leper straw which disintegrates is not an idiot. Maybe have a wee think before you say something really nasty about a child.

@RainbowsBrowniesLove

Total bullshiit.
All schools allow you to send in home made sandwiches, salads, food in a thermos etc.

@Librariesmakeshhhhappen I think they were obviously referring to an adult who couldn't handle a paper straw or find an alternative for their child.

@Librariesmakeshhhhappen

They are almost impossible to open. When I tried one myself I got juice all over the table after 10 minutes of trying to open it.

Please read the post. The adult can’t figure it either…

How hard is it for you to take a bag for your veg and buy, or heaven forbid, make, a drink. Really?

Buy some reusable bags and a different drink and see if its really that hard.

Stop making your own life hard so you can be angry.

If we’re going to make any difference whatsoever to the environmental catastrophe looming there are going to be bigger sacrifices to make than a smoothie straw I’m afraid!

Paper straws are shit, especially for kids who often take a bit of time to drink a juice carton.
I don't think it's possible to drink a whole Capri sun without straw failure as when you get to that bit near the bottom and the packet collapses and you need to blow into it a bit, the collapse crushes the straw and then blowing into it bursts the end of the weakened straw.

Kids should certainly not be taking metal straws into school. That old lady that was killed by one literally took a core sample of her eye and brain when she fell on it. Let's not have that happen to a school child

@NannyR

Reusable mesh bags are the way to go for fruit and veg. Reusable drinks bottle rather than cartons too.

I don't bother with bags at all for fruit/veg. Scan and go at the supermarket. Weigh the carrots/apples/potatoes whatever on the scales. Scan the sticky label. Put the produce straight into the bag for life open in the trolley. Move on. You do not need each item in a separate bag.

Also agree that juice cartons can be ditched for bottles with water or squash.

As PP have said. Drink in reuseable bottle and fruit and veg in your own re-useable bag. It’s not hard. We really need to get our priorities right before it’s all too late.

I understand your frustration but you are BU and need to take a broader and more long te perspective. Your children won’t remember what drinks they had in their lunchboxes but when the SH@t hits the fan and climate chaos happens they may well remember what you did to try and prevent it.

This is so disproportionate it's like something from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy "oh earthlings, yes, well the thing was they really couldn't get their head around doing without paper straws so in the end they poisoned the planet with them. But at least they didn't mess their school uniforms..."

YABU to give your kid Capri sun or smoothie every day.

Squash in a reusable bottle is fine.

You can actually buy capri sun squash now, so same drink not tried it but assume its near enough but put in a reusable bottle

It's people with special needs & medical problems who this straw issue is a real problem for 😔 there should be some way of being able to buy a variety of plastic straws if you have a Dr's note or something, so that the children on this post who have autism could continue drinking their smoothies

Yabu

Get a flask

You can actually buy capri sun squash now, so same drink
Another similar drink is the Volvic orange, the one that is orange in colour. Nice for a treat. I wouldn't drink it all the time obviously, still has a plastic bottle and not that healthy

Same I'm fed up of these straws they feel weird in my mouth also and are such a faff. I get it but Christ it's annoying.

I don’t think people are saying they want to go back to plastic straws - the point is that the paper straws don’t work so the manufacturers need to redesign the packaging either to suit paper straws or in a way that a straw isn’t needed.

I haven't read TFT. Only the first bit.

Gobsmacked at the pathetic winging. It is cringe.

I’m all for saving the environment but not when it’s not workable!

Get a disposable straw, use a bottle, Get a mesh bag. Spend the time posting thinking of solutions to hating paper straws and paper bags.

It’s bloody ridiculous or AIBU?

You're ridiculous OP.

Actually it's probably a wind up.