Drinking Straws And Lifestyle

Unfinished soda, left in a parking lot.

Drinking straws are a problem to the environment, but they should not be the fall guy. We are the polluters because we don’t think about the environmental implications of what we buy from the grocery store, hardware store or coffee shops, our second home.  I’ve also seen many Nigerian movies where actors drink beer with straws.

Can this be re-cycled?  That is the last thing on our minds as we sip our cappuccino and other iced coffees from straws; carry groceries to the car in plastic bags and drink only bottled water (in plastic bottles) because we don’t trust the water the municipality provides and throw away cellphone charges because we have new phones. 

Drinking straws are not new.  Just look at those old soda ads.  They are a problem now because we can buy a pack of 200 for $1.50 and use them at home.  Sometimes we don’t finish the soda and toss the can out with the straw.

It is not only about drinking straws but lifestyle choices.  We buy things we do not need.  The evidence is in basements and garages we use for storage.  We can drink iced tea or coffee without straws. 

Most grocery and drug stores in North America charge you for plastic bags, 10 cents or 25 cents.  Maybe major coffee houses should also ask the question.

“Do you need a straw with the iced latte?  That would be one dollar.”

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.