Singer-songwriter and actress Lily Allen has slammed paper drinking straws, complaining that they ‘disintegrate’ and are not fit for purpose.
Speaking on Threads yesterday, Allen bemoaned the ergonomics of the straws for falling apart while a drink was still being consumed, suggesting that bars need to reconsider their options and find something more robust than paper that won’t negatively affect the environment.
Allen said: “I love the environment and everything, but are paper straws the best thing we can come up with? They disintegrate before I’ve anywhere near finished my drink.”
After a raft of responses mirroring her thoughts as well as some proffering the use of reusable metal straws or alternatives such as pasta or bamboo straws, Allen added: “So I’m not the only one with a drinking problem.”
Despite Allen highlighting the issue, many of her followers suggested that the answer to the problem was not to create something new, but to opt from using a straw at all and said: “So don’t use a straw. Drink from the glass.” While another follower revealed: “I’m old enough to remember a time when grown ups managed to drink things without the aid of a straw at all. When did it become A Thing?”
Additionally, another follower asked: “Why are we so hung up on straws? There are so many other single-use plastic things out there.”
Last year, a research report by Future Market Insights forecast how reusable straws were going to see an 11% surge in demand between 2022 and 2031 due to raised environmental awareness among consumers.
The change from plastic to paper drinking straws has largely been down to plastic having been synonymous with pollution and an increase in company’s looking at revising their sustainability initiatives.
In the US, millions of plastic straws are reportedly thrown away each day and the UK contributes close to 4.4 billion of straws annually.
Globally, 79% of plastic waste ends up in landfills, dumps or in the environment according to statistics revealed by Industry Today and 12% of plastic waste is incinerated, while only 9% is recycled.
This article was originally published by the drinks business and has been shared with permission.
