The Last Straw

Nima Madani

With the hazards of plastics as such a hot topic in the news today, more companies are trying different methods to reduce the overall usage of single-use plastics. According to an article from the New York Times, 300 million tons of plastic is produced globally each year with only 10% of the waste recycled. Many groups are working together to cut down the plastic waste – including one mega coffee franchise. 

On July 9, 2018, Starbucks debuted their strawless lids in response to the company pledge to remove all straw use by 2020 (That’s right, our pumpkin spice lattes are about to get even cooler). Though a very innovative idea, critics have complained that the lids use more plastic to make than a straw would normally use. And it’s true, the lids are made of plastic, but unlike straws, they are much more easily recycled. Although eliminating plastic straws will not do much address plastic pollution (since plastic straws make up less than 1 percent of the total plastic waste in the world), supporters of this move see it as a small step to gain more momentum in solving the plastic problem.
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The debate will continue on whether these lids will be beneficial or not to the waste problem. The strawless lids could be a small step to a better solution, or a quick fix to an eventual bigger problem. No matter the outcome, more solutions should be innovated to tackle the waste dilemma – maybe the biggest impact of these strawless lids will to provide inspiration for tackling the problems of tomorrow.