Should Plastic Straws Be Banned?

When you think of a plastic straw, you probably imagine mouth- watering milkshakes, ice-cold sodas, and delicious smoothies. Americans use half a billion plastic straws every day—enough to wrap around the globe two-and-a-half times. Straws make drinking easier and neater. (And who doesn’t love that loud slurp at the end of a satisfying drink?)

But did you know that those skinny tubes of plastic are harming animals all around the world?

In the U.S. alone, people throw out 12 million pounds of plastic straws each year. These straws are so light that many blow right out of trash cans and garbage dumps. The wind carries them through the air, and billions are landing in rivers and oceans. Birds, fish, and other animals can mistake them for food or swallow them by accident.

Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle’s nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. Some experts estimate that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash. The crisis is so serious that many people are saying that plastic straws should be outlawed. Seattle is one of a growing number of cities that are planning to prohibit restaurants and coffee shops from handing out plastic straws.

When you think of a plastic straw, you probably think of thick milkshakes. Maybe you think of cold sodas or tasty smoothies. Americans use half a billion plastic straws every day. That’s enough to wrap around the globe two-and-a-half times. Straws make drinking easier and neater. (And who doesn’t love that loud slurp at the end of a drink?) 

But did you know that those plastic straws are harming animals all around the world?

In the U.S., people throw out 12 million pounds of plastic straws each year. These straws are very light. Many blow right out of trash cans and garbage dumps. The wind carries them through the air. They land in rivers and oceans. Birds, fish, and other animals swallow them. 

Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle’s nose. They’ve been found in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. Some experts say that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other plastic trash. That’s why many people are saying that plastic straws should be banned. In Seattle, it will soon be against the law for restaurants to hand out plastic straws. Other cities have the same plan.

Cuando piensas en las pajillas de plástico, puede que se te haga la boca agua imaginando batidos de helado, refrescos fríos y deliciosos licuados de frutas. Los estadounidenses utilizan alrededor de 500,000 pajillas de plástico al día, las suficientes para envolver el globo dos veces y media. Las pajillas facilitan y hacen más limpio el acto de beber. (¿Y a quién no le encanta hacer ese estruendoso sorbido al final de una rica bebida?).

Sin embargo, ¿sabías que esos finitos tubos de plástico lastiman a los animales alrededor del mundo?

En EE.UU. solamente, la gente tira a la basura 12 millones de libras de pajillas de plástico al año. Estas pajillas son tan ligeras que muchas salen volando de los cubos de basura o los vertederos de basura. El viento las lleva por el aire y miles de millones terminan en los ríos y los mares. Las aves, los peces y otros animales las confunden por comida o las tragan por error. 

Se han encontrado pajillas atoradas en las narices de las tortugas marinas e incrustadas en los estómagos de aves y delfines muertos. Algunos expertos estiman que más de 1 millón de animales marinos mueren al año a causa de las pajillas y demás basura plástica. La crisis es tan seria que mucha gente dice que las pajillas de plástico deberían ser prohibidas. Seattle es una del creciente número de ciudades que planean prohibir que los restaurantes y cafeterías ofrezcan pajillas de plástico. 

But not everyone supports the idea of banning plastic straws completely. 

For some people, straws aren’t just for fun. Millions of people need straws because they have health issues that make it hard to drink directly from a cup. Without a straw, some very ill or elderly people would struggle to get the liquids they need to survive. 

Others suffer from tooth problems that make it painful to drink cold liquids. Straws allow a person to sip without having an icy drink touch sensitive teeth. 

And of course, it’s hard to drink thick and frothy beverages, like Frappuccinos, without a straw. Nobody looks good with a chocolate mustache or a blob of whipped cream on their nose. 

Supporters of the ban point out that not all straws would be outlawed—just disposable plastic ones. People could still buy straws made of recyclable paper or reusable materials, like glass or bamboo. 

And here’s a very “cool” idea: straws made of ice. You make them in special molds in your freezer. They cool your drink as you sip and then disappear completely. Drinkers get to enjoy their slurp—and animals stay safe.

What a refreshing idea.  

But not everyone wants to ban plastic straws.

For some people, straws aren’t just for fun. Many people need straws. Millions have health issues that make it hard to drink straight from a cup. Straws help some ill and elderly people get the liquids they need to survive.

Others have tooth problems that make it painful to drink cold liquids. Straws keep cold drinks from touching the teeth.

And it’s hard to drink thick, frothy drinks, like milkshakes, without a straw. No one wants a chocolate mustache or a blob of whipped cream on their nose.

Supporters of the ban say that not all straws would be banned—just plastic ones that get used once and thrown out. You could still buy straws made of paper. There are also reusable ones made of glass and bamboo.

And here’s a “cool” idea: straws made of ice. You make them in special molds in your freezer. They cool your drink as you sip. Then they melt. Drinkers get to enjoy their slurp. And animals stay safe.

What a refreshing idea. 

Pero no todos apoyan la idea de prohibir las pajillas por completo. 

Para algunas personas, las pajillas no son solamente divertidas. Millones de personas necesitan pajillas porque tienen problemas de salud que les dificultan tomar directamente de un vaso. Sin una pajilla, algunas personas muy enfermas o mayores tendrían problemas para tomar los líquidos que necesitan para sobrevivir.

Hay otros que sufren de problemas dentales que hacen que beber líquidos fríos sea doloroso. Las pajillas también les permiten a las personas poder sorber sin que la fría bebida toque sus dientes sensibles.

Y, por supuesto, es difícil tomar bebidas heladas y espesas, como los Frappuccinos, sin pajilla. Nadie se ve bien con un bigote de chocolate o una mancha de crema batida en la nariz.

Los que apoyan la prohibición mencionan que no todas las pajillas tienen que ser proscritas: solo las desechables de plástico. La gente todavía podría comprar pajillas hechas de papel reciclable o materiales reusables, como vidrio o bambú. 

Y he aquí una idea muy interesante: pajillas hechas de hielo. Las haces en moldes especiales en tu congelador. Enfrían tu bebida mientras sorbes y después desaparecen por completo. Los bebedores pueden disfrutar su último sorbo y los animales quedan a salvo. 

Qué idea refrescante.