The experience of using plastic straws:
The experience of using plastic straws is well-established and familiar to the vast majority of the population, even if they’d rather prefer a more environmentally-friendly alternative. Many people have grown up with plastic straws as the norm, and therefore don’t question the experience.
Indeed, there is still a small but necessary demand for plastic straws in medical fields – in hospitals and pharmacies. For example, some people who live with disabilities still need to use plastic or metal straws for medical reasons. In the UK, the NHS alone purchased 15 million plastic straws in 2018. However, there are now plans to reduce the number of plastic straws used in hospitals and care facilities.
As a result, there is an increasingly high demand for paper straws in hospitals, which can be given to patients who aren’t living with a disability. However, these must be high-quality paper straws that meet hygiene standards, can withstand heat, and will survive liquid for prolonged periods of submersion.
Legal Implications of Drinking Straw Materials
Single-use plastics will be banned in the EU by end of 2021. This includes, but isn’t limited to, plastic straws, stirrers, single-use plastic cutlery, and plates. All EU member states are required to follow this new legislation or risk fines and, in some serious non-compliance cases, criminal charges.
The Recyclability Of Drinking Straws
Recycling plastic straws:
People find it difficult to recycle plastics properly, no matter how good their intentions are. This is because most plastic straws are made from Polypropylene, a plastic which is very difficult to recycle, as many local authorities simply don’t provide the right services or facilities to do so.
Moreover, even if a local authority does provide the right facilities, plastic straws are often overlooked accidentally as they’re smaller and it’s easier to lose them during the recycling process. Plastic straws made from polypropylene are classed as a type five plastic on the plastic resin scale, which can affect the ease and accessibility of how and where you can recycle it.
Recycling paper straws:
Paper straws are fully recyclable, although councils and local authorities need to improve their current recycling programmes to take advantage. There has been recent speculation that McDonald’s paper straws can’t be recycled, although this claim is unfounded as it was later discovered that paper straws can be recycled and that, instead, there needs to be improvements in the UK’s recycling infrastructure.
Better yet, biodegradable paper straws can be composted – either at a processing plant or even in the consumer’s own garden as a mulch.
Impact On Nature And Wildlife
How plastic straws impact nature:
More than 80% of litter in oceans, rivers, beaches and seas consists of various plastics, according to findings released by the European Commission. This is due to the fact that plastics have a decomposition rate of around 200 years. Plastic straws are also a real threat to wildlife, as marine creatures such as whales, seals and seabirds mistake them for food.
The straws can block their digestive systems or suffocate them, causing unnecessary suffering and death, which negatively impacts the food chain and ecosystems all over the world. Humans are also affected by this, as plastic can end up in seafood such as fish and shellfish.
How paper straws impact nature:
Paper straws decompose within two months on land and six months in saltwater. If animals accidentally ingest a biodegradable FSC-approved paper straw, this is deemed much safer as they are more digestible for animals – thus they aren’t as harmful, nor do they impact the food chain so drastically.
Technology and Manufacturing of Paper and Plastic Straws
Manufacturing paper straws:
The structure of paper straws also plays an essential role in their longevity. Opting for three-ply spiralled paper straws rather than one-ply paper straws has many advantages. One-ply paper straws lose up to 80-90% of their strength when exposed to liquids for thirty minutes or more. Spiralled paper straws are structurally sound, lasting up to 3 hours when immersed in liquids.
Spiralled paper straws can be produced in high volumes in a very short amount of time – specifically, 450 paper straws per minute by our machines at Rapos Paper Straws, with less than 2% glue used for each straw. In fact, the SPI Glue Application system means the glue is applied more precisely than ever before and automatically rejects paper straws that don’t fit with the accurate specifications.
When we look at paper straws vs plastic straws, the three-ply paper straws boast an “anti-fizziness” feature where over-carbonation is minimised in fizzy drinks. When it comes to consumers, paper straws are designed to last but without the damaging impact on the environment.
Manufacturing plastic straws:
Manufacturing plastic straws is inherently messier and involves more environmental risk. Plastic is made from oil, which is extracted from the ground and piped thousands of miles to refineries. Of course, these pipes routinely burst due to excavation accidents, weather, corrosion and other factors. This means oil can affect people, property and animals – as well as bodies of water. Oil pipeline accidents are prevalent, with the equivalent of 200 barrels spilled every day in the USA alone – according to findings by Richard Stover, PhD, at the Center for Biological Diversity.
When it comes to manufacturing plastic straws, factories are greatly contributing to this cycle. Polypropylene is made by stringing the molecules of propylene gas together – so it requires a lot of molecules to form the plastics you see used in plastic straws. With a large number of molecules comes more chance of creating waste. Plastic resin can be contaminated or overheated, so it has to be thrown away – and it’s not like this plastic is particularly easy to recycle.
Summary: Paper vs Plastic Drinking Straws
Paper straws vs plastic straws shouldn’t be a particularly controversial debate. Even though there is work to be done to improve paper products themselves, and the infrastructure that supports a circular economy, the impact of paper straws on the environment is far less harmful than plastic. Businesses can take environmental responsibility seriously, build a positive reputation, and demonstrate a commitment to sustainability by introducing paper straws instead of using plastic straws in their products.
It's estimated that around 800 different species are affected by ocean plastic pollution and that at least 100,000 marine mammals die every year as a result of plastic debris.
More than 50% of all of the plastic ever made has 
