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

  • Paper straws are a better alternative, but they aren't supper reasonable. As you said, they get soggy quickly. I feel like reusable straws are better, and you use them way longer than plastic or paper. They can be reused for years and still work effectively. The only downside is that eventually everything is thrown out, but there are also reusable straws that can be recycled. 

    • I agree, reauseable straws like metal and rubber will probably do the environment good along with people. 

  • I believe if paper isn't the best alternative for straws and neither is plastic than the world should find another source of material to use for straws. Like the metal straw people aways use.

  • Paper straws are obviously better for the environment and landfill but I personally would use other alternatives. I'm not a huge fan of paper straws as they don't last very long and sometimes can make it taste different. 

    • I agree with you, if a straw makes your drink taste different then people should find other ideas like rubber or metal straws.

  • I think that there is a better alternative then paper aswell so i think as of right now i prefer plastic because they can be reusable and they last longer but thats the downside, paper straws are better for the environment, so personlly i think it should be what you want and shouldn,t be banned.

  • I think paper is better as it biodegrades faster than plastic bottles and takes about 450 yrs to decompose while paper takes 2-6 weeks. I think its better but the plastic company is very relied on so do not think plastics are going anywhere 

  • I think that plastic straws are better because if you have a paper straw then the straw would get wet and it would wrinkle or shrivel up and some people don't like it. Even though paper helps with the environment I think that plastic straws are better.

    • I agree, there are many unbenifical things towards paper straws. 

  • I prefer plastic straws over paper straws because the paper ones give a weird taste and then get soggy. I know that they help the environment but just think they should just keep the plastic straws.

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