Straws

9/19/2018

Who would have thought that straws would come to be a big deal? Certainly not me. But, for the purpose of being eco-friendly, straws have come under fire.

I don't know about you, but I still use a straw when I'm in a restaurant and have ordered tea or soda. Do I need a straw? Actually no. But, it's hard to break a habit that has been going on for years.

I personally don't care if the straw is plastic or that paper-like one. I just want a straw. Since our den has become my new "bedroom", I always have water, with a straw, on the table beside me. Why? Because it's far easier to drink water with a straw, because I don't have to take my CPAP mask off to do so.

So, to that end, I did buy a box of plastic straws. But, I use the same straw over and over again. Perhaps I should put the box of straws in my hope chest, as a reminder in the future, of what we used in the "olden" times!

I would think folks would be more worked up about the styrofoam containers our fast food or restaurant leftovers are served in. 

• Here's some little know facts about recycling: "According to  research the following is the estimated time for some everyday items that are all around us to decompose in landfill sites:
   
• Plastic bottles: 70-450 years 
• Plastic bag: 500-1000 years 
• Tin can: around 50 years 
• Leather shoes: 25-40 years 
• Thread: 3-4 months 
• Cotton: 1-5 months 
• Rope: 3-14 months 
• Cigarette: 1-12 years 
• Milk packet (tetra) covers and drink packets: 5 years 
• Nylon clothes: 30-40 years 
• Sanitary napkins & children diapers: 500-800 years 
• Glass bottles: 1,000,000 years
• Hairspray bottle: 200-500 years 
• Fishing line: 600 years. 
• Glass bottle; 1-2 million years 
• Aluminum can: 200 years

 Who would have thought that straws would come to be a big deal? Certainly not me. But, for the purpose of being eco-friendly, straws have come under fire.

 Million Year Lifespan:

 Styrofoam is commonly used in disposable products that are only used once. These products can persist in the environment for more than a million years, however, since polystyrene is not biodegradable. Though it is slow to break down chemically, Styrofoam does however fragment into small pieces, choking animals that ingest it, clogging their digestive systems. Styrofoam and other plastics currently make up about 30 percent of the landfill volume in the United States. A million years? Wow. We're certainly not going to be around that long! 

But, just in reading about how long it takes to recycle everyday items, does give you pause.

P