"We look at straws as one of the gateway issues to help people start thinking about the global plastic pollution problem," Plastic Pollution Coalition C EO Dianna Cohen told Business Insider. "They've been designed to be used for a very short amount of time, and then be tossed away."

In 2015, plastic consumption worldwide totaled 300 million metric t ons. That essentially means that for each one of the world's 7.6 billion humans, 

we're making  88 pounds  of plastic a year. 

It may seem as though the quarter-of-an-inch diameter drinking straw is the least of our worries. But environmentalists say the fight's got to start somewhere.

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On Thursday, September 20th California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a first-of-its-kind bill aimed at reducing straw waste in the state. 

Starting in 2019, sit-down restaurants in the Golden State won't serve any drinks with straws, unless customers ask for them.

Starbucks has vowed to get its iconic green sippers completely off store shelves by 2020.

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Consider investing in reusable straws for your home and office, purchasing biodegradable paper straws, or maybe dropping your use of straws completely. 

This one small step for man could be exactly what the world needs to kick start a larger recycling movement. 

 

Resources:

businessinsider.com/plastic-straw-ban-why-are-there-so-many-2018-7