Based on the recent report in The Star, Malaysians use about 31 million plastic straws a day, and these straws may eventually be land-filled.

One of the reasons in the increase of plastic straws usage is the growth in bubble tea market. Every bubble tea shop sells hundreds of cups of milk tea in one day. This will cause the usage of plastic straws to increase. This has also led everyone to feel that it is convenient to use plastic straws and it can be thrown into the trash easily.

Disposable plastics straws pose a HUGE threat to the environment.

Why plastics straws is harmful ?

Plastic straws are not biodegradable

The life of the straw is very short and is usually used only once and then discarded to the dump. This is because plastics straw is a chemical ingredient and therefore cannot be reused or recycled. In addition, plastic straws are not biodegradable and cannot be naturally broken down by bacteria and other decomposition products into non-toxic materials. Therefore, when the plastic decomposes, it releases toxic chemicals. The chemical is carcinogenic and mixes with hormones in marine animals (and humans).

2. Careless disposal of plastic straws endangers marine wildlife

According to the Ocean Protection Association’s TIDES system data (July 2019), straw is currently the sixth largest marine waste to be cleaned up. Straw and plastic pollute the ocean and adversely affect marine life.

For example, the sad video below shows that the turtle probably accidentally swallowed the straw and then stuffed it into the nostrils while trying to cough up the straw. Researchers on the Costa Rican coast removed a plastic pipette embedded in the nostrils of olive tree turtles.

Credit: The Leatherback Trust

Plastics straw is particularly dangerous for seabirds because the straw is easily picked up and swallowed and suffocated. In fact, more than 1 million seabirds die each year from plastics. This is because plastics are not digested and can get stuck in the stomach of an animal so that they cannot eat really nutritious food, and it will eventually die of hunger. Photo Credit : https://intobirds.com/the-last-straw/

How to protect Earth from plastic straws?

Using glass/ stainless steel/ bamboo straws

Nowadays, young people like to go to drink bubble tea and chat with friends has become a habit for young people. For example, when I went to the bubble tea shop, I saw many young people and friends drinking bubble tea with stainless steel straws instead of plastic straws.

In addition, when I use stainless steel straws, my friend will ask me where can buy stainless steel straws.This shows that my use of stainless steel straws will affect the family and friends around me.

SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT

In order to protect and save our environment from catastrophic disasters, the world must have a good start, starting with us. Everyone is doing something to make good changes and improve our environment.

If people continue to change their habit of using plastic straws to stainless steel straws, the marine environment will get better and better and marine life will not be hurt in the long term.

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Lets together commit in reducing plastic straws and micro-plastic pollution for our ocean, and OUR FUTURE.