To just want plastic straws back!

[Malahide]

Lighthearted - mostly!

I’m so sick of paper straws turning to mush before a drink is even finished, they just aren’t fit for purpose. Add in the awful wooden cutlery that you now get (I want my salad to actually taste like salad, not wood!!) and the cardboard takeaway containers which begin to disintegrate as soon as they touch food and all of a sudden I’m reconsidering whether the planet is really worth saving…

I’m joking of course but surely I’m not the only one who feels this way? There have to be better alternatives out there than paper, wood & cardboard that just seem to ruin everything!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Because the milkshake is too thick and I also have sensitive teeth so it’s easier and less painful to use a straw

Why not just drink out a glass or cup like an adult? I never think to use a straw. And use metal cutlery. Would probably save yourself a lot of money to, rather than buying take away food.

Just buy your own reusable straws if it bothers you that much. Job done.

I agree that the world needs to use less single use plastic, but why aren’t people querying why these items are ending up in the oceans? It’s as though people are just accepting it and committing to use less plastic, and the people dumping it are left to carry on?

I hate paper straws though. I have reusable silicone straws but they are no good for things like capri suns, and the paper straws given with those and other cartons are not fit for purpose. Has anyone found a reusable straw that works with these?

When I visited one part of the US they had biodegradable straws made out of a new material; they worked much better than the paper straws we get here.

I take my own straws, the metal type, and use them at home and work too as I too can't abide the mushy paper ones! I actually like the plastic ones even though they're bad!

Fucksake

No I am not confusing them, it's my area of work.
Plastic overconsumption impacts the carbon footprint (global warming) and also when small pieces end up in the sea causes damage to wildlife but also decomposes creating chemical contamination. We have a really big issue with microplastics at the moment.
For the people who say they have a disability I totally understand they need to use straws. Medical devices is one area that is not affected by the compulsory reduction of plastics. If they need to be made of plastics it won't be changed.
But for the vast majority of people we can drink tap water from a glass. It's free, it's the best thing for our bodies. We don't need straws. We don't need to buy water in plastic bottles. We don't need lids detached from bottles. All plastic being produced now has to be recyclable, and only when there is no alternative.
I personally use my keepcup when buying coffee on the go.

As an adult I don’t drink from juice boxes. But I use them through my job…which is with children. Where reusable straws are impractical/usually too big for the little holes. But thanks for your clever advice 😇

If you had actually read my ‘pathetic’ post properly then you would know that I’m advocating for a better alternative to plastic.

Your lack of comprehension skills is also quite p a t h e t i c.

Chlorinated tap water running through old pipes certainly is not the best thing for my body. Unless it is filtered then I buy bottled, which won’t be changing any time soon.

Typo. Supposed say ‘don’t allow’ obviously.

There are may studies showing that there is a higher chance of microbiological contamination in bottled water.
Water from the tap is chlorinated to be safe to drink. it doesnt need additional filtering as that is just marketing and bullshit.
There are some areas where pipes are very old and havent been replaced and water from the tap in that case could be contaminated (from.contact with the pipe) with led. But you need to be aware of these issues before you buy a Victorian house for example. The council has all this information, the area where you live and the water quality.
In modern houses the safest water is from the tap. It's treated to be safe.
I have done lab tests to bottled water and there is microbiological contamination you don't find in tap water. And of course in bottled water is likely to contain microplastics depending on for how long and at what temperature that particular bottle was stored.

Ikea sell very cheap plastic cups that whilst they are plastic they last longer than a single use carton. Plenty of nurseries do this and drinking from a cup is an essential skill.

It isn’t ‘marketing bullshit’ - I simply don’t like the taste of chlorinated water, our filters at home remove this and make it more palatable. If it needs to be chlorinated in order to be safe then it really wasn’t that safe in the first place. I fill a water bottle from home and take it out with me, any time we get it from a restaurant it’s always in glass bottles so the plastic isn’t typically an issue. Many high street retailers have now also started selling it in aluminium bottles/cans

I take straws out with me now or ask for 2 with my drinks do I can use a fresh one halfway through my drink.

@Malahide I think you're being a bit disingenuous. You did say you're advocating for better alternatives to plastic, that's true. Several posters immediately said: "Here are some good alternatives!" Yet, instead of thanking them and cracking on, you're still keeping up the "it's so annoying" shtick, which does fan the flames of discontent. Wouldn't it be better to lean into the positive change that the biodegradable and reusable alternatives represent? When we moan about stuff, we attract other moaners and mobilise really unhelpful barriers to positive change as people think "Yeah, come to think of it, x, y or z really is annoying / inconvenient; I'm just going to chip in about that..."
You said you already have metal straws. That's great, surely?

I mean, unless you are buying bottled water rfrom restaurants, those glass bottles they put on the table are tap water.

All the paper straws, wooden cutlery and cardboard food containers are like nails down a blackboard to me. Something about the texture is awful. I'm getting shivers just thinking about it!

Same! Started with chip forks and the drinks tray things from McDonalds!

I bought a mini cutlery set and a mini metal straw for my bag! Eating anything using wood gives me the ick, similar to running nails down a chalkboard shivers. Makes your food taste grim. Paper straws are just vile. Didn’t cost the earth and don’t take up any room in my bag.

You can get plenty of alternatives!