Paper Straws/Plastic straws which is bettter?

We all know that plastic straws are harmful to sea animals such as sea turtles. There are many pros and cons to both plastic and paper straws. 

 

 The advantages of paper straws are they take 2-6 weeks to decompose but paper straws soon become very soggy and you eventually have to throw away your unfinished drink or get a new straw. If a movie theater has paper straws then you would be having to get up and go out of your movie once the paper straw becomes soggy and you cannot suck anything up anymore. That honestly is just a waste and is not good for landfills. Paper straws cause more pollution in landfills and they can also be unsafe with toxins.  Paper straws are the most common solution however they are not the best alternative. 



Plastic straws take up to 200 years to decompose. Many cities on the east and west coast have banned plastic straws. Paper straws are the most common solution however they are not the best alternative. Plastic straws I feel have more benefits to it such as not having a soggy straw and having to replace it every 10-20 minutes. 

 

I personally believe that we should use plastic straws rather then paper ones only because there are better alternatives to it rather than sucking out of a soggy straw.

Which do you prefer?

What do you think is best for the environment?

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Replies

    • I agree, paper is better for the environment but plastic is alot better.

  • I think paper is better for the environment, but I do agree that they do get soggy and you'll just have to throw them away. Plastic straws are even worse though. I think the better option overall is just getting your own metal or silicone reuseable straw if you really want to use a straw and not harm the environment.

  • I like plastic straws a lot better becuase i have a bad habbit of sucking and biting on my straw and after awhile it just falls apart. I dont like the weird feeling of the  paper straw and it makes your drink even taste weird. Even though paper is better i still like plastic.

    • I agree, it does make your drink taste different.

  • I like the plastic straws better. The paper straws feel weird once they get wet.  I don't like the the feeling of a wet paper straws. A better alternative to plastic and paper straws are metal straws. If everyone carried around a metal straw then that would be the greatest to our environment.

  • It is a very tough decison because neither straw option is perfect. As you mentioned, paper straws do get soggy, which can be uncomfortable to drink out of after a while. On the other hand, plastic straws are a much better option when compared to paper straws but less eco-friendly. So, I would prefer to use a plastic straw but work towards creating a more sustainable version. 

    • I agree,  if people want to "save" the environment I say that we should just swtich to metal straws as they can be reuseable and does not have to be thrown away. 

  • Personally, I don't like paper straws. The texture after being used a few times makes me want to gag. I would rather use plastic. But to really save the environment I would 100% use a metal straw. I saw online that there is another type of environmentally friendly straw, using a round noodle. It sounds silly but it Is better for the environment and doesn't have a soggy feeling.

    • I agree, the texture becomes gross.

  • Personally, I prefer to use plastic straws over paper straws because they last longer and don't feel as weird as paper. Although paper is better for the environment, they can't be used more than once. Plastic on the other hand, can be used way more than once.

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