Lindsey Cullum

Lynn Kramer
November 13, 2017
Ban on Plastic Straws
I. Intro
a. Turtle video?
b. This is one example of why I want propose a nation-wide ban on plastic straw use
i. I know some of you are thinking “ok this is dumb” but…
II. The facts about plastic
a. Plasticoceans.org – non-profit organization – Plastic Oceans Foundation
i. Packaging
1. Just over 40% of total plastic usage comes from packaging
ii. Plastic bags
1. About 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide every year.
That’s more than one million bags every minute
2. A plastic bag has an average “working life” of 15 minutes
3. we have produced more plastic in the past 10 years than during the
entire last century
iii. Plastic bottles
1. According to the Container Recycling Institute, in 2014 there were
100.7 billion plastic beverage bottles sold in the U.S. This is
around 315 bottles per person
2. 57% of those units were plastic water bottles
3. Producing bottled water requires around 6 times as much water per
bottle as there is in the container
III. The Last Plastic Straw
a. The Last Plastic Straw is a movement to eliminate single use plastic at the source
IV. Why should it matter
a. Essentially every piece of plastic ever made is still in our environment, due to it’s
chemical make up there is nothing in nature that can biodegrade plastic
i. Microplastic
 ii. Health problems due to the chemicals
b. 80-90% of marine debris is from plastic
c. One garbage trucks worth of plastic is dumped into the sea every minute
d. In the U.S., we use 500 million straws a day
i. That is enough straw waste to wrap the circumference of the earth 2.5
times or to fill Yankee Stadium over 9 times in a year
V. Who’s banned straws this far
a. Seattle
i. According to The Seattle Times, Seattle is set to enact a ban on
plastic straws and utensils.
ii. All businesses that sell food or drinks must offer compostable or
recyclable options — or ask patrons to forgo straws altogether —
starting next July as part of a citywide ordinance to curb plastic waste
across the city.
b. Charleston
i. Strawless Summer Challenge
VI. Alternatives
a. Aardvark straws
i. The only FDA-approved, eco-friendly paper straws made entirely in the
USA
ii. https://www.aardvarkstraws.com
b. Go Strawless
i. Objections – dirty glass in restaurants
1. Glasses are actually the 6th source of germs in the average
restaurant
a. You are more likely to get sick from touching the seats and
the menus in a restaurant than from the glass
VII. My opinion
a. Other cities should take on the ban of plastic straws like Seattle
b. This can be achieved through
i. Signing a petition
 1. change.org
2. “Tell Tesco: ban disposable plastic straws
ii. Making changes in your life
VIII. Conclusion
a. In conclusion, I believe in trying to limit plastic in as many ways possible. A ban
on plastic straws in restaurants is a small, but meaningful way to impact the
effects of plastic pollution on our oceans and on ourselves.