Not sure how accurate that is but it wouldn’t surprise me. Also, the biggest water polluters are Asian countries so banning straws in the US And Europe is a drop in the bucket.
1 Like
They don’t seem to have a smaller package size, but maybe they make theirs with a more significant size opening…?
Seems there is a restaurant in Bristol england and a few places in the US using them too
2 Likes
Thanks. Mentioned in NPR-- two economists recently developed the idea of “Conspicuous Conservation”: engaging activities which put ones in a higher environmentally friendly social status. Things like why do people buy a hybrid toyota Prius over a hybrid Honda Civic – because a Prius has an unique appearance which signals to others…etc
"Alison Sexton says in many cases solar panels are installed on the wrong side of a house. That happens when the side that gets less sun is also the side most visible from the street. If you have to choose between really saving energy and making a statement about yourself, the statement may come first. "
2 Likes
That’s a simple derivative of Thorstein Veblen.
Useful alternatives but get yours before the waitlist becomes a thing😁
Documentary
Absolutely, the authors and the show mentioned that it is an alternative view of Thorstein Veblen’s
conspicuous consumption. The only difference they claim is that typical conspicuous consumption is about wasteful products, whereas the conspicuous conservation can be a good thing. You are right. A small difference.
So, have you bought your metal straw yet?
Not a bubble tea consumer, so no.
I think I last used a straw when I was four. Now I use big boy cups and glasses.
^^ If you don’t get satiric humor just move on.
4 Likes
I prefer to drink beverages without straws. The only time I use a straw is if I opt for a drive-thru soft drink while on a road trip. So perhaps once or twice a year. If I snagged 20 straws from a fast food place and carefully cared for them I’d have enough to take me to my grave and then some!
4 Likes
The better to reduce facial lines, too.
Good to know it exists. LOL! Looks like something for plumbery.
1 Like
I ordered an iced tea at a SoCal Starbucks recently and the closure on the cup was flat clear plastic with a slightly sculptured, keystone shaped opening larger than the slit they use on hot coffee. So… I’m guessing one possible answer to the straw issue is no straw.
3 Likes
I have used the SAME plastic straw from Dunkin Donuts, for the iced coffee I make at home, for 11 years now. As long as I remember to drink a few swallows of water through it right after the last of the coffee, it stays clean. The few times it got gunky, I wet a sliver of paper towel and twisted it around a crochet hook or skewer so it was a tight fit inside the straw. Shove it through, clean as a whistle. Then slosh in soapy water and rinse out.
My bedside water glass is a DD iced coffee cup, with its straw. They are also over a decade old and have never been washed because it’s just water and any germs are already mine.
1 Like
I am not a straw person anyway, but recently I have been given paper straw. It is odd, and personally I think is more wasteful than plastic.
Nothing . Time to get off the nipple .
1 Like
Some drinks are thicker in consistency so a straw is handy. I bought a bag of bamboo straws online. They work fine and will last for yrs because they can be washed. But for drinks that dont require straws I dont bother.
I’m not a straw person either but paper straws aren’t wasteful if they’re recycled. We’re just not that serious about recycling in the US. Case in point it’s not easy to recycle electronics in most of the country, certainly not around here.
I see. I thought food contaminated paper is very difficult to recycle. I remember being told not to put any food contaminated paper (like paper plate) into recycle bin or else I would contaminate the rest. However, maybe straw is different as long as we are not drinking anything like milkshake or fat related drinks.
“Essentially, this contaminant causes the entire batch to be ruined. This is the reason that other food-related items are non-recyclable (used paper plates, used napkins, used paper towels, etc.).”
https://earth911.com/home-garden/what-not-to-put-in-the-bin/
1 Like
