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Most drinking straws are made out of polypropylene, a commonly used polymer. A polymer is a very long chain of propylene gas, a fuel made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms all bonded together.

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Historically, straws have largely been manufactured in China and imported to the US. However, plastic straw bans in China combined with temporary US tariffs led to an increase in domestic production, especially for paper and bioplastic straws.

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Roughly 5-10 cents for manufacturing and distributing a single straw and it is much cheaper for consumers to buy one with at least 2 cents per unit.

Usually complementary with beverage when dining

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Foodservice is by far the largest market for straws and will continue to have an outsized impact on overall straw industry trends.

Restaurants, diners, drive-throughs, etc.

Demand for disposable straws is forecast to grow 1.5% annually to $597 million in 2027.

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Advertised as convenient, almost second nature to have one with a drink. More recent culture promotes paper and bamboo options but in the same nature of convenience.

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Will it break, chip, or degrade? How durable is it?

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Will it break, chip, or degrade? How durable is it?

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Plastic straws are made from materials like polypropylene or polystyrene, which can't be broken down by bacteria or other decomposers. Instead, they break down into microplastics and nanoplastics over time.

Extremely durable, may take up to 200 years to break down.

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Since it is such a small disposable item, there usually isn't any "fixing" but just getting a new one, even more wasteful and harmful.

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Do you have to replace it when it is broken or damaged?

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Do you have to replace it when it is broken or damaged?

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Due its thin material, usually when a straw is broke there's no choice but to replace it.

Disposing of pre-waste only to create more

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Must it be cared for, cleaned, or maintained to be usable?

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Must it be cared for, cleaned, or maintained to be usable?

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The plastic straw is so minuscule it is identified as a single use, non reusable object.

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1. "Eternal Plastics." STEMvisions Blog, Smithsonian Science Education Center, 1 Aug. 2018, ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/eternal-plastics#:~

=Most%20drinking%20straws%20are%20made,that%20you%20use%20are%20polymers.

2. "US Disposable Straws." Freedonia Group, 2023, www.freedoniagroup.com/industry-study/us-disposable-straws#:~:text=US%20Straw%20Production%20Ramps%20Up,for%20paper%20and%20bioplastic%20straws.

3. "Paper or Plastic? Why the Answer Should Be Neither." Clean Water Action, 25 June 2018, cleanwater.org/2018/06/25/paper-or-plastic-why-answer-should-be-neither#:~

=Environmental%20issues%20aside%2C%20paper%20products,both%20businesses%20and%20the%20environment.

4. "Plastic Straws and the Environment: What Is the Impact?" Tembo Paper, 15 Jan. 2021, www.tembopaper.com/news/plastic-straws-and-the-environment-what-is-the-impact#:~:text=1.,environmental%20pollution%20and%20health%20problems.

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Describes how marine pollution of plastic products creates a long chain of cause and effect of plastic waste through watershed, exposing living organisms (and ourselves) to harmful toxins.

Shares how the overconsumption of plastics result in materials found in plastic food packaging and products bioaccumulate in people's diets and can affect their health or development.

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The Plastisphere—The Making of a Plasticized World on JSTOR

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Marcus Eriksen, The Plastisphere—The Making of a Plasticized World, Tulane Environmental Law Journal, Vol. 27, No. 2, PLASTIC POLLUTION (SUMMER 2014), pp. 153-163

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The article, Grasping at Plastic Straws and Working with Frames: Perspectives and Prospects of Advocacy NPOs and NGOs Promoting Zero Waste and

Plastic Reduction Initiatives in Japan by Harriet Felicia Reistad Dam, is about how Felicia examines the role of nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations in Japan that advocate for zero waste and plastic reduction the study that she conducted mostly falls into the frame of how each campaigns around the issue of plastic pollution and how effectiveness their efforts actually were. She focused on why the action alone of banning single used plastic straws may not actually tackle the bigger issue of plastic production consumption and waste management. She believes in the need of emphasizing more compressive, systematic approaches to plastic reduction while also acknowledging the importance of their work in shifting public consciousness, and pushing for policy reforms, instead of just advocating for environmental impact and promoting it, she wants people to actually advocate and take part into influencing public attributions and shaping policy debates, that's actually going to create a difference.

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Articles talk about "plastic being a material the earth cannot digest." Talks about were the plastic ends up. Some examples are water ways and farmland.

They discuss about researchers finding that plastic has been found in dead animals. Many ingest the plastic and end up dying. The issue of overconsumption of plastics and garbage pollution connect with the reading. Plastic is toxic and has no place discarded in our environment. In the reading we learn about 100% bio-based plastic which is better for our ecosystems.

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PLASTIC POLLUTION COALITION: The Bioplastic Labyrinth on JSTOR

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MANUEL MAQUEDA, PLASTIC POLLUTION COALITION: The Bioplastic Labyrinth, Earth Island Journal, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Autumn 2010), pp. 18-19

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The use of single-use plastics have been engrained into our culture, especially "developed" countries, because we are told by advertising and society that products presented to us in a way that's not in new and clean plastic containers should be considered contaminated or dirty. The excessive use of plastic is promoted, especially since it is convenient for the average person to use.

80% of plastic waste is single use plastic, mostly found in the ocean

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Description

The global throwaway culture has created a cross-ecosystem plastic pollution injustice. The first to suffer this injustice will be the most vulnerable. Our oceans have become our dumpsters. The throwaway culture has created a disrespect of material goods that has turned the earth's resources into rubbish after a single use. Eighty percent of the yearly 8 million tons of plastic that enter the ocean is single use plastic, such as plastic bottles, plastic shopping bags, or cigarette lighters.[1] Plastic has destroyed ecosystems, robbing impoverished communities of natural resources and of a healthy and safe living environment. First to suffer the injustices of plastic pollution are marine life living in the dumping ground of throwaway culture. This paper will discuss the Albatross, a population seabird who are suffering starvation from plastic pollution in the most remote regions of the world. The Albatross will serve as a metaphor, or more accurately a warning, of how humans will soon be affected. It is already known that plastic micro-beads enter the food chain by fish that then pass on the plastic particles for human consumption. Humans are consuming more and more plastic from fish but are also consuming the toxins absorbed by the plastic micro-beads. The injustice of throwaway culture and plastic pollution is heavily supported by scientific evidence, but often facts need to become feelings in order for social change to occur. Every person has a right to access to an environment free of plastic debris and toxins associated with its improper disposal. The issue of plastic pollution in its scale is debilitating. Cleanup is not an option because the plastic pollution is scattered through out the ecosystem. Recycling adds to carbon emissions. Our best option is to convert our culture and halt production and use of plastic, and most urgently single-use plastic. Radical change is needed. We need to go beyond tweaking our imagined order but instead reconnect our throwaway culture to nature so that we reestablish the appreciation of earths resources.

[1] John Tibbetts, "Managing Marine Plastic Pollution: Policy Initiatives to Address Wayward Waste" EHP Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2015: 3

Keywords

Plastic Pollution, Single-use Plastic, Throwaway Culture

Disciplines

Biodiversity | Biology | Economic Policy | Environmental Health | Environmental Policy | Environmental Studies | Nature and Society Relations | Other Economics | Political Economy | Public Economics | Public Policy | Social Policy | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Recommended Citation

McDermott, Kristin L., "Plastic Pollution and the Global Throwaway Culture: Environmental Injustices of Single-use Plastic" (2016). ENV 434 Environmental Justice. 7.
https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/env434_justice/7

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Plastic Pollution and the Global Throwaway Culture: Environmental Injustices of Single-use Plastic

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The global throwaway culture has created a cross-ecosystem plastic pollution injustice. The first to suffer this injustice will be the most vulnerable. Our oceans have become our dumpsters. The throwaway culture has created a disrespect of material goods that has turned the earth's resources into rubbish after a single use.

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What happens to this item when it is thrown away in your neighborhood?

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What happens to this item when it is thrown away in your neighborhood?

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What happens to this item when it's thrown away in my neighborhood is that it end up in Eastern Hill Landfill. This landfill is located in Monterey Park near south of freeway 10 and west of freeway 710. It is managed by Los Angeles County Public Works Department.

Source:

“Eastern Hill Landfill.” LA County Public Works, Los Angeles County Public Works, 23 Oct. 2024, ladpw.org/projects/eastern-hill-landfill/#:~:text=The%20Eastern%20Hill%20landfills%20are%20located%20in,710%20Freeway%2C%20and%20include%20the%20Blanchard%20Landfill.

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What happens to this item when it is thrown away in your neighborhood?

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What happens to this item when it is thrown away in your neighborhood?

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In my Neiborhood our Disposable company recycles many things however, plastic straws cannot be recycled. they would be disposed in the trash bins. Nevertheless, our provider has gone green collecting cardboard, paper, plastic and green trash such as lawn clippings. the company has taken a big move in informing the public of what is accepted and in which bin they belong. This facilitates the processes in the sorting facilities they are taken to after collection day. They are then sorted and recycled.

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At Republic Services, we leverage our expertise, innovations and technology to ensure we maximize the volume of materials we recycle.