drinking straws environment problem

mmpleaser

Please refrain from using straws if possible.

里约热内卢可能很快成为巴西第一个禁止在海滩小吃店、酒吧和餐厅使用塑胶吸管的城市。里约市议会二读在8日下午通过一项禁止餐饮业者提供塑胶吸管的法案。

这项法案规定，不遵守法律的营业场所将处以巴西币3000元罚款，如果重复犯罪，金额可以倍增。中央社报道，法案同时建议使用生物可分解材质环保吸管，取代塑胶吸管。

非政府组织“我的里约”发起线上连署活动，吸引超过1.5万人支持相关法案，现在只差里约市长克里维拉裁定即可生效。

非政府组织在活动网页上指出，吸管约占全球总垃圾量的4%。虽然没有足够数据显示巴西的吸管使用量，但在像巴西这样的大陆型国家－如美国，每天估计使用5亿支吸管，如果把这些吸管连起来，足以绕地球两圈半。


里约的策略符合打击塑胶垃圾和预防海洋污染物的全球性运动。据联合国表示，至少有50个国家在这方面提出建议。

最近，欧洲联盟委员会的新规定，也是为了减少，甚至禁止使用一次性塑胶产品，这些产品占欧洲海滩最常见废物的70%。印度也在本周宣布未来五年，将遵循相同政策方向。

来源：星岛日报

mmpleaser

McDonald's has joined the fight against plastic pollution by switching to paper straws at its restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The change, which will begin to take effect in September, follows trials of paper straws at select locations. The US fast food chain said a majority of its customers supported the move away from plastic.

"Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws but to do so without compromising their overall experience when visiting our restaurants," said Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonald's UK and Ireland.

McDonald's (MCD) uses 1.8 million straws each day at its 1,361 restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company said the changeover would be complete in 2019.

Plastic straws are the sixth most common type of litter globally, according to Litterati, an app that identifies and maps trash. Only 1% are recycled, largely because they are made of a mixture of polypropylene and polystyrene.

According to the UK government, 1 million birds and more than 100,000 sea mammals die every year from eating or getting tangled in plastic waste. And research shows there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the world's oceans by 2050.

UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove called on other companies to follow the example of McDonald's.

"McDonald's has made a significant investment in UK manufacturing to produce an alternative to plastic, showing British businesses are taking a global lead," he said in a statement.

Several large UK restaurant chains such as Pizza Express and Wagamama have already stopped using plastic straws.

And a group of more than 40 companies including Coca-Cola (KO), Nestle (NSRGF), Unilever (UL) and Procter & Gamble (PG) pledged earlier this year to slash the amount of plastic they use and throw away in the United Kingdom.

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The flurry of commitments comes as efforts to eliminate single-use plastic intensify.

The European Union moved last month to ban 10 items -- including plastic cutlery, straws and cotton swabs -- by 2030 in a bid to clean up the oceans. But it could take years to come into effect.

Related: Europe plans ban on plastic cutlery, straws and more

In April, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced the United Kingdom would look to ban plastic-stemmed cotton swabs, stirrers and straws. She urged Commonwealth countries to commit to the fight against plastic waste at a meeting in London.

McDonald's said that plastic straws would still be available "for those that require it," but they will be kept behind the counter.

Some manufacturers have previously argued against the removal of plastic straws because they are needed by some people with disabilities, children and the elderly.

mmpleaser

Even India is now banning all one use plastics,  cutlery, straws, bags  OF ALL COUNTRIES.
We can learn from them too.

mmpleaser

加通社消息，今年8月开始，加拿大最大的几家连锁餐厅将停止使用塑料吸管，预计在2019年3月，可燃、可生物分解的纸质吸管将代替塑料吸管在这些餐厅广泛使用。

餐饮巨臂Recipe Unlimited Corporation旗下19个品牌都将遵循该计划，其中包括脍炙人口的Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, Kelsey’s以及New York Fries。

早在6月初，加拿大热门快餐厅A&W曾说将马上更换塑料吸管为纸质。Ikea也承诺将在2020年彻底停用塑料吸管。多伦多许多酒吧、餐厅也纷纷效仿。

对塑料吸管的禁用，是全球环保人员施压的结果。为保护野生动物不受塑料制品的伤害，也为防止塑料物在沿海地区及绿地堆积，环保人员要求餐厅改用可燃的纸质吸管。


专家指出，在加拿大，每天有5700万根吸管被消费，但低于20%被回收。专家建议改用纸质、金属或木质吸管。（智苏编辑）

mmpleaser

Last week, got a cold ice coffee and NOT using a straw, painful.  Need to open cup to take a sip.
New lid may do the trick.





Starbucks is going strawless.
The coffee company announced Monday that it will phase out plastic straws from all of its stores by 2020.

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The changes will help Starbucks (SBUX) eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws per year, the company said.

Plastic straws contribute to ocean pollution and pose a danger to marine life. Some governments have begun banning them.

Related: Europe plans ban on plastic cutlery, straws and more

To eliminate straws, Starbucks is transitioning from the flat, plastic lids that require them, to ones that feature a raised lip you can drink from. The new designs have drawn comparisons to an adult "sippy cup."

Frappuccino drinks will still be served with dome lids, but with straws made from paper or compostable plastic. Coffee drinkers who prefer straws for other beverages can request the new eco-friendly versions.

Some Starbucks drinks, like cold brew with cold foam, are already served in cups with strawless lids.

Related: McDonald's and Starbucks hit by plastics ban in India

Starbucks will begin rolling out the new lids for all drinks this fall, starting with stores in Vancouver, Canada, and Seattle.

In a statement, CEO Kevin Johnson called the move away from plastic straws a "significant milestone" in the company's sustainability efforts.

Starbucks had already committed $10 million to help develop recyclable, compostable cups for hot drinks.

mmpleaser

Further to the plastic straw issue,  it will be smart move for fast food places to sell their own brand of MULTIPLE use coffee mugs for clients to REFILL, then washed by clients for REFILL multiple times before recycling.  Good positive publicity for the brand for sure.  Save the world image.

mmpleaser

海洋生物“十大杀手”之一：塑料吸管未来将由什么来代替？
加拿大都市网
2018年7月11日 15:48


作者：WWF世界自然基金会

塑料制品的存在，本意是给人们的生产生活提供便利，但是泛滥开来的塑料制品已经逐渐超出了正常的环境承载量，无论在城市还是海洋，这些白色垃圾正是环境污染的主要元凶之一。

熊猫君今夏将邀请多位专家讲观点，收集有趣案例举例子，开启#减塑更酷#专栏，传递减塑声音。

#减塑最前沿#

7月9日，世界自然基金会发起“重塑未来，谁先出手”中国行动，呼吁餐饮企业淘汰塑料吸管，并点名肯德基、麦当劳、costa咖啡、星巴克等已在国外承诺停用塑吸管的企业，应尽快在中国推出减塑措施，与国际接轨。


当日晚上，星巴克正式承诺，到2020年，在全球28000多家门店内停止使用塑料吸管。而星巴克中国也将履行这一承诺。

没有塑料吸管怎么办？来听听罗丹老师的观点。

牛奶、豆浆、可乐、奶茶、汽水……塑料吸管似乎是所有饮料的标配，人们会觉得用吸管而不用嘴直接接触杯口是安全卫生的，对于年轻人来说手拿一杯插着塑料管的饮料摆pose拍照是代表着时尚和“品味”。怎么会一时间，塑料吸管就成了人人喊打的过街老鼠了呢？到底塑料吸管有多恐怖，会让全球的人们都这么重视？

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？
事情大概可以从2015年社交媒体上的一个给海龟拔除吸管的视频说起。科学家在哥斯达黎加的海岸上发现了一只受伤的海龟，经过检查发现这只海龟的鼻腔有异物，科学家团队花了十分钟将其取出，发现鼻腔中的异物竟然是一根长达10公分的塑料吸管。整个过程海龟痛苦得紧闭双眼，嚎叫不已。视频一经上传，立刻网络上迅速扩散。世界各地的人们才惊觉，一根我们日常生活中司空见惯的小小的塑胶吸管，却可能对环境及海中生物带来巨大的伤害。

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？
2018年一月，澳大利亚26岁的潜水教练Harriet Spark在潜水的时候，在海底发现一只触角抓着四根塑料吸管的章鱼。她和她的同事们开始清除海洋里的塑料吸管，以防它们影响海洋生物的生存。第一天，她从海里捞出了300多跟吸管，第二天250多根，第三天150多根……在她的带领下，很多人加入了离海岸30米内寻找塑料吸管的行动。他们从海里捞出了成千上万的吸管。

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？

那么，世界各国到底消耗了多少吸管呢？根据美国从事废弃物回收利用的组织Eco-Cycle的估计，美国平均每人每天使用1.6支吸管，全国每天使用5亿支吸管，全年共消耗1825亿支。英国85亿支、德国48亿支、法国32亿支、意大利20亿支、波兰12亿支、荷兰11亿支、瑞典10亿支、台湾30亿支……

数量如此庞大的塑料吸管，平均每支使用不到20分钟就会变成垃圾，由于因为使用范围太广、体积太小、回收经济价值低，几乎无法被回收再利用。不仅清扫这些塑料吸管需要大量的人力，处理也是一件很头疼的事情——填埋几百年都无法降解，焚烧增加二恶英等有毒气体排放。一但随意丢弃进入河流湖泊，最终流入海洋会被鸟类和鱼误认为是食物吃料，危害海洋生物的生命，有研究表明塑料吸管是海洋生物的十大杀手之一。据“国际海滩清洁日”的统计，废弃的塑料吸管常年位居塑料最多的垃圾种类的前五榜单！

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？
其实，除了对环境和海洋生物的危害之外，劣质塑料吸管对人体健康也会存在一定的风险。北京、广州、长沙、海口等很多城市都曾报道过关于“三无”（无厂址、无产名、无使用材料）塑料吸管泛滥的新闻。不发商贩使用回收塑料制品作为生产塑料吸管的制作原料，甚至还有医疗废弃塑料垃圾作为吸管原料！这些“三无”塑料吸管在一定高温下，可能会散发氯合化物，进入人体不仅会使呼吸道受损，也会对肝肾造成伤害，甚至致癌。如果吸管颜色越鲜艳，安全隐患就会越大。

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？
吸管真的是我们人类必不可少的用品么？答案当然是否。

在有史可考的文字记载里，不论是东方还是西方，以麦秆或者芦秆此类直立中空圆柱管吸食的都是酒类液体。19世纪，当时，美国有一名烟卷制造商马文史东，从烟卷中得到灵感，制造了一支纸吸管。试饮之下，既不会断裂，也没有怪味。从此，人们不只在喝淡香酒时使用吸管，喝其他冰凉饮料时，也喜欢使用纸吸管。塑胶发明后，纸吸管便被五颜六色的塑胶吸管取代了。由此可见，吸管并非必须，更多是一种习惯性行为。

习惯一旦养成，戒掉自然困难。好在，在塑料吸管造成的巨大环境压力面前，全世界多个国家的很多人开始行动。既推动禁用、限用的法律法规从源头来限制塑料吸管的生产和使用，也开始寻求各种替代品。

纸吸管

吸管的大量使用源于美国研究制造商的发明，现在回归纸吸管也算是对发明者的致敬。

英国的麦当劳门店和其他的一些餐馆已经开始使用纸吸管，但仍然是用过一次就不可以再重复，如果为了提高防水效能做了塑料覆膜的话，那也是很难降解的。

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？
不锈钢吸管

非常耐用，一支恒久远，大概可以用一辈子吧。只是清洗有些麻烦，看不清楚里面是否洗干净了。

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？
玻璃吸管

玻璃吸管也可以重复多次使用，清洗也方便，只是一不小心可能碎掉啦！

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？

竹吸管

台湾有人研发了丢弃后可以100%生物降解的竹吸管，并且有不同口径，连喝珍珠奶茶的都有。只是保存不好容易长霉或者开裂。

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？
海藻吸管

美国的两位设计师以海藻为原料，辅以从水果蔬菜中提取的天然色数和香精做成的吸管，可以被泡在饮料中超过24小时，无毒可食用，可以在土壤和海洋湖泊中快速完全降解。

减塑更酷｜没有塑料吸管了，可怎么办？

不过，即使是选择了上面这些替代品，也未必就是环保了。毕竟它们的生产也是需要原料和消耗能源的。加上清洗用的小刷子、装吸管和小刷子的袋子，多出来的这些配套用品，比原本的塑料吸管所需的制作成本可高多了呢。如果选择了这些塑料吸管替代品，也是用一次就不用的话，不是更浪费资源，更不环保么？那就真成了有些人批评的那样“救了海龟，害了北极熊”。

在我们生态极其脆弱的高原地区，随着现代城市生活方式的侵入，在县城一级也出现了很多饮品店，五彩缤纷口味各异的饮料装在一次性塑料杯中，连同塑料吸管一同取代了传统的用碗装的酥油茶和奶茶，获得年轻人们的喜爱。餐厅里的罐装饮料也有塑料吸管作为标配，这一切都很“自然”。

不让喝肯定是不行的，而且也没有哪一条法令禁止使用塑料吸管。为了我们赖以生存的高原生态环境，我们还是可以做点什么的。比如：

1、拒绝使用塑料吸管。没有塑料吸管，也能够喝饮料的嘛！至于珍珠奶茶里面的珍珠究竟怎么吃，难道还有筷子搞不定的事情么？如果筷子也搞不定，咱还有勺子！

2、如果要使用，请用可持续使用的吸管。不锈钢的、竹的、玻璃的……还是有好几种选择的嘛！

3、如果使用了，请不要随便丢弃。如果实在是使用了塑料吸管，用完了请走到垃圾桶旁边，将塑料吸管准确投放进垃圾桶里面，避免它们散落在环境中让动物误食，或者是遗落在草场或者河流里，给生态系统带来危害。

4、主动捡拾包括塑料吸管在内的塑料垃圾。总有习惯随手乱扔垃圾的人，散落在自然环境中的塑料垃圾数量与日俱增。看见了，我们就主动捡起来丢进垃圾桶吧，捡一点总是要少一点。

5、做科普宣传。我们可以游说饮品店不用或者尽量少用塑料吸管，我们也可以在学校等年轻人集中的场域做关于塑料垃圾污染的环境科普讲座，让更多人知道塑料垃圾和高原生态、人体健康的关系。

环境保护，其实是个伪命题，保不保护环境都在，只是这环境人类是否能够存活而已。所以环境保护，本质上是保护人类自身。塑料吸管小小一根，也架不住那么大的使用量，对于生态系统的影响不可小觑。如若忽视，最终受害的，也是人类。

来源： 今日头条

mmpleaser

Marriott hotel chain

PRESS RELEASE
Marriott International To Remove Plastic Straws Worldwide By July 2019

By
Published: July 18, 2018 8:00 a.m. ET

     
Company to eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws annually, reducing its environmental impact
BETHESDA, Md., July 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International MAR, +2.05% today announced that it has adopted a plan to remove disposable plastic straws and plastic stirrers from its more than 6,500 properties across 30 brands around the world. Once fully implemented in one year, the company could eliminate the use of more than 1 billion plastic straws per year and about a quarter billion stirrers. A single plastic straw – which might be used for about 15 minutes – will never fully decompose.

"We are proud to be among the first large U.S. companies to announce that we're eliminating plastic straws in our properties worldwide," said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International. "Removing plastic straws is one of the simplest ways our guests can contribute to plastic reduction when staying with us – something they are increasingly concerned about and are already doing in their own homes. We are committed to operating responsibly and – with over one million guests staying with us every night – we think this is a powerful step forward to reducing our reliance on plastics."

Marriott's plastic straw initiative is the latest change the hospitality company is making to enhance the sustainability of its operations and reduce plastic consumption. Earlier this year, Marriott began replacing small toiletry bottles in the guest bathrooms of about 450 select-service hotels with larger, in-shower dispensers that distribute more product for guests to use, reducing waste. The new toiletry dispensers are expected to be in place at more than 1,500 hotels in North America by the end of this year, which would enable Marriott to eliminate more than 35 million small plastic toiletry bottles annually that typically go to landfills.

These initiatives build on Marriott International's commitment to reducing its environmental impact. Last year, the company set its most ambitious sustainability and social impact goals ever that call for reducing landfill waste by 45 percent and responsibly sourcing its top 10 product purchase categories by 2025. These goals and other sustainability programs help reduce our environmental footprint and are part of the company's Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction initiative that addresses social, environmental, and economic issues.  

Hotels worldwide have been eliminating plastic straws  In February, more than 60 hotels in the United Kingdom eliminated plastic straws and began offering consumers alternate straws upon request. Many individual properties – ranging from urban boutique hotels to oceanfront resorts – have also been on the forefront of this initiative. Some examples:

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Aardvark, only U.S. producer of paper straws, acquired to meet skyrocketing demand
Sarah Bowman, Indianapolis Star Published 3:00 p.m. ET Aug. 6, 2018 | Updated 9:14 a.m. ET Aug. 7, 2018

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The sole maker of paper straws in the U.S. has been acquired in a deal designed to help it keep up with skyrocketing demand.

As cities across the country and companies across the globe move away from plastic straws, Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Aardvark Straws has struggled to meet the unprecedented demand.

Hoffmaster Group, a leading U.S. manufacturer of premium disposable tableware based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, acquired Aardvark Straws, owned by Precision Products Group, on Monday morning. The financial details of the deal weren't released.

"In the coming months, we will aggressively ramp up Aardvark's manufacturing capacity to meet the rapidly accelerating demand for paper straws," Andy Romjue, president of Hoffmaster's foodservice division, said in a statement. "We are committed to being a reliable supply source for paper drinking straws in the foodservice market."

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Within the last year, cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Fort Myers, Florida, Malibu, California, and Vancouver have banned the use of plastic straws, while others, such as New York, are moving in that direction. Companies including Starbucks, American Airlines and Disney, have announced that they're eliminating plastic straws.


"[Hoffmaster's] knowledge of the foodservice market paired with their resources will aid the company in providing billions of quality paper straws to restaurants and businesses looking to implement necessary changes to protect our environment," said Precision Products CEO Dave Hooe. "We're proud of how far Aardvark has come and look forward to continued success with Hoffmaster."

Aardvark's paper straws debuted in 2007, as the anti-plastic movement began to emerge. In the 10 years since reintroduction, the company has seen year-over-year growth, according to David Rhodes, the company's global business director. This last year's growth, however, is beyond anything the company could have expected: 5,000 percent.

Aardvark said it's talking to major brands that are looking for alternatives to plastic straws.

This acquisition, according to Hoffmaster, will provide Aardvark with the necessary resources to fulfill orders and meet demand. There currently is a lead time of several months for orders depending on their size.

Hoffmaster has a six- to nine-month plan for expansion and ramping up Aardvark's production, according to Aadvark. However, Hoffmaster's strategy doesn't include changing the paper straw itself, because it doesn't disintegrate or get soggy in drinks and is naturally degradable and compostable.