The real reasons behind plastic straw bans

On By Fred McNultyIn Videos

Should plastic straws be banned?

In municipalities across the United States and the world, single-use plastic straws have come under fire due to their impact on the environment. However, proposals to ban single-use plastic straws are also controversial and have criticized by people across the political spectrum. But what is frequently lost in this debate is the question of why single-use plastic straws are so bad for the environment. For answers, we talked to MaryEllen Mateleska of Mystic Aquarium.

Extended interview with MaryEllen Mateleska:

Citations:

#1: Fears, Darryl. “A campaign to eliminate plastic straws is sucking in thousands of converts.” The Washington Post, 24 June 2017, http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-campaign-to-eliminate-plastic-straws-is-sucking-in-thousands-of-converts/2017/06/24/d53f70cc-4c5a-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#2: Gibbens, Sarah. “A Brief History of How Plastic Straws Took over the World.” National Geographic, 2 Jan. 2019, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/news-plastic-drinking-straw-history-ban/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#3: “Talking Single-Use Plastic Bags With MaryEllen Mateleska.” NBC Connecticut, 2 Aug. 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN_ie-NMN3g. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#4: Shanahan, Martha. “Suck It Up: Plastic Straws Are Next Target of Anti-plastic Movements.” The Day, 27 Apr. 2018, http://www.theday.com/article/20180427/NWS01/180429368. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#5:  “Sea Turtle with Straw Up Its Nostril – “NO” TO PLASTIC STRAWS.” YouTube, 10 Aug. 2015, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wH878t78bw. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#6: Palmer, Ewan. “California City Imposes 6-month Jail Term for Breaking Plastic Straw Ban.” Newsweek, 27 July 2018, http://www.newsweek.com/plastic-straw-ban-you-can-be-sent-jail-breaking-new-law-california-city-1043944. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#7: Houck, Brenna. “How the Plastic Straw Ban Became the Biggest Trend of 2018.” Eater, 27 Dec. 2018, http://www.eater.com/2018/12/27/18156734/plastic-straw-ban-biggest-trend-2018. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#8: Christopher, Tommy. “WATCH: Laura Ingraham Drinks Steak Impaled With Lightbulbs and Plastic Straws to Own the Libs.” Mediaite, 7 Sept. 2019, http://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-laura-ingraham-drinks-steak-impaled-with-lightbulbs-and-plastic-straws-to-own-the-libs/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#9: Gibbens, Sarah. “How Do Plastic Straw Bans Work?” National Geographic, 23 July 2018, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/news-how-plastic-straw-bans-work/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#10: Lerner, Sharon. “The Plastics Industry’s Long Fight to Blame Pollution on You.” The Intercept, 3 Oct. 2019, theintercept.com/2019/10/03/plastics-industry-plastic-pollution/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#11: Consumer Reports. “You’re literally eating microplastics. How you can cut down exposure to them.” The Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2019, http://www.washingtonpost.com/health/youre-literally-eating-microplastics-how-you-can-cut-down-exposure-to-them/2019/10/04/22ebdfb6-e17a-11e9-8dc8-498eabc129a0_story.html. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#12: PragerU. “Should We Ban Plastic Straws?” YouTube, 14 Aug. 2018, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v7Bo_or7h0.

#13: The Daily Show. “A Straw Cop Enforces Washington, D.C.’s Plastic Straw Ban.” YouTube, 14 June 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOLEFQxPgNs.

#14: Time. “Trump’s 2020 Campaign Is Now Selling Plastic Straws: ‘Liberal Paper Straws Don’t Work’.” YouTube, 22 July 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhyvQZGPqHU. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#15: CNN. “Kamala Harris Calls for Ban on Plastic Straws.” YouTube, 4 Sept. 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RrYYBe6x4U. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.

#16: Fox News. “Gutfeld on the Plastic Straw Ban in California.” YouTube, 25 July 2018, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0tWkfAR2Q.

#17: Taylor, Kate. “Starbucks is Killing Its Iconic Green Straws, and It Wants People to Drink out of a ‘sippy Cup’ Instead.” Business Insider, 9 July 2018, http://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-replaces-straws-with-sippy-cup-lid-2018-7. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.

#18: Hafner, Josh. “Plastic Straws Illegal Unless Requested Under California Bill with Up to a $1,000 Fine Attached.” USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2018, http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2018/01/29/plastic-straws-illegal-unless-requested-under-california-bill/1074610001/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.

#19: Lerner, Sharon. “Coca-Cola Named Most Polluting Brand in Global Plastic Waste Audit.” The Intercept, 23 Oct. 2019, theintercept.com/2019/10/23/coca-cola-plastic-waste-pollution/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

#20: Shaw, Jason. “The Assasins.” audionautix.com. Accessed 25 Aug. 2019. File originally posted online under an applicable Creative Commons license.