“Oh, it’s just ONE plastic straw. One straw should be harmless right?”
Well actually, you’re wrong.
The next time you go to a mamak, you might be surprised to find your straw is now made of paper- that’s probably because more and more restaurants are trying to stop using plastic straws.
Or maybe the reason they don’t use plastic straws anymore is because Malaysia has already imposed a nationwide ban on single-use plastics in the beginning of 2020.
So, what is the issue with plastic straws?
A single-use plastic drinking straw don’t decompose or biodegrade. So, when you toss them in the trash, they actually end up in landfills for hundreds of years. And plastics that end up in the ocean floats around as small pieces (called microplastics) that could poison animals and hurt the environment. Kesian turtles.
Why can’t we just recycle plastic straws?
According to Washington Post, plastic straws or other items smaller than two by two inches are actually very difficult to recycle because they tend to fall through the machinery that sorts our recycling. Because of this, the plastic straws usually don’t end up getting recycled.
What can we do about it?
The best way to keep plastic straws out of landfills, is just simply not to use them – whether you’re at home or at a restaurant. But if you still degil and want to use a straw, opt for paper straws or other non-plastic alternatives such as bamboo, metal or glass.
So Malaysians, no more kecoh-kecoh on the internet about how your drink didn’t come with a straw, okay?
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
