Small Changes, Big Impact

our plastic problem won't be fixed by getting rid of straws, but cutting them out is a first step in a larger behavior change. considering as many as 8.3 billion (!!!) plastic straws pollute the world's beaches I’d say it’s a great first step (Science Mag 2017). the ultimate goal is to end the circulation of single-use plastic.

did you know that most plastic straws don’t end up being recycled because they’re too lightweight to make it through mechanical recycling sorters? they end up in landfills, or worse, in the ocean where they pollute the water and kill marine life. if we don’t act now, it’s estimated that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. (via strawlessocean.org)

not-so-fun facts: 🍹Americans use 500 million plastic straws every day, which could fill over 127 school buses every day, or more than 46,400 school buses every year. (via natgeo) 🌊eight million tons of plastic flow into the ocean every year, and straws comprise just 0.025 percent of that. (via natgeo)

there are some simple changes you can make to avoid single-use plastic straws: • if straws are not already banned where you live, ask for no straw when you order a drink • bring your own straw! there are tons of glass, bamboo and metal reusable straws available. I recently got The Final Straw which is a convenient packable straw — you can use the code final20 at finalstraw.com for 20% off one of your own

any ideas for what else we can do to reduce single-use plastic? ♻️💚 as always, feel free to share!

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