Reusable straws are a good alternative, but not for everyone

To straw or not to straw, that is the question… that has been bothering iced coffee and soda drinkers of our time.

In recent years, the trend of reusable straws has grown in popularity as we see our natural world become even more polluted every day. Don’t get me wrong—I use a non-plastic straw whenever I am able. I even have a cute little pouch that I carry a metal straw in everywhere I go.

However, the habit of guilting people for using a plastic straw has also followed with the trend of using reusable ones. Metal, silicone and bamboo straws are fantastic substitutes, but we cannot abolish the use of plastic straws completely for a few important reasons.

Reason number one: The movement to ban single-use straws is beneficial for able-bodied people, but what about for people with disabilities?

Author Erin Vallely, who wrote the article “Grasping at Straws: The Ableism of the Straw Ban,” points out how not everyone can use reusable straws. Straws made of certain materials, including bamboo, metal or glass, present possible injuries to the straw users, especially disabled users. Softer straws, like paper, are a choking hazard. Vallely also describes the difficulty some people have with eating solid foods; a bendy, plastic straw presents a wonderful use in assisting anyone in easily swallowing liquid foods.

Vallely agrees that something should be done, but more pressure should be placed on the producers of such products, not the users. Companies should be held accountable for the way they make the straws, ensuring the most eco-friendly and carbon-neutral process possible.

Reason number two: being able to purchase, clean and maintain reusable straws is not a commodity that everyone can afford.

Reusable straws are not cheap, especially when looking at more expensive components such as metal or glass. A quick search on Google placed stainless steel straws in the price range of $4 to $20. I can hear you saying it already: “Taylor, four dollars isn’t a lot of money. Why would anyone struggle with that?”.

That four dollars is just the price to BUY a reusable straw. This doesn’t include the extensive cleaning after each use, the sterilization of these straws, and the maintenance that goes into them, especially if they are lost or break and need replacement. Not everyone has access to such commodities such as a consistent place to clean your straws thoroughly, a pouch or container of some sort to carry it with or the money to purchase more straws as they wear over time.

Reusable straws are an amazing product that can help reduce the amount of plastic waste we put into our oceans, rivers, lakes and landfills. However, not everyone has the luxury of using an item like this. We must keep all of humanity in mind when we look towards a brighter, more eco-friendly future.

As I mentioned before, we can push for change by placing more pressure on companies that produce single-use plastics (including straws, bags and more). If they can refine their process to be more eco-friendly and carbon neutral, then we do not have to place any guilt on the users themselves, especially the ones who have no other choice than single-use straws.