Most people don’t realize the effects plastic straws have on our oceans and marine wildlife. Statistics suggest that over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used each day. That’s 1.6 straws per person per day. By the year 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean largely due to plastic straws. It takes 500 years for a single plastic straw to decompose and during that time it is leaching chemicals into the earth’s soil and water. There are many large companies taking the lead and removing plastic straws from their products and moving to more eco-friendly alternatives such as paper straws. Even though paper straws still end up in the landfill, they are biodegradable.

Plastic straws are part of many of our lives but we can make a choice and stop adding to the problem. A great alternative to plastic straws are stainless steel straws. They are reusable and last a very long time. They don’t rust or deteriorate, are easy to clean, and provide an affordable alternative to plastic straws.