It was a hot summer day and I went to BLT Burger, I was thirsty and it was about 35 degrees outside and I’ve wait for about 10 minutes before I got in. After ordering my food and my beverage, the food and the beverages arrived, and I took a sip out of my milkshake to realize it was made of flimsy paper.
I was taken back and felt betrayed. I even asked the waiter if he had any plastic straws, knowing full well that he didn't.
But then, there's a twist to this storyline.
The waiter informed me that metal straws were available. Straws made of metal. I've never been more enraged and perplexed in my life. Shivers ran down my spine just thinking about cold, metallic metal clanking against my teeth.
I'm all for environmental protection, but here's my beef with paper straws: They're completely useless. Paper is not recognized for its water resistance. These straws become mushy in minutes, creating a sense of urgency when trying to enjoy your beverage. You can’t just sit and casually talk to your friends because, within minutes, that straw will turn to mush. Then, you’ll have to drink it with the top off, and we all know that’s a dangerous game to play.
Paper straws, after all, are recyclable, right? Wrong. Most recycling facilities, according to Netwaste, will not accept food-contaminated paper products. That paper straw has been accumulating liquids for the past 15 minutes while sitting in your cola. Let's face it, most people toss the straw in with the cup in the garbage.
Another thing that sucks about paper straws is that they can leave an unpleasant aftertaste in the user’s mouth. Low-quality paper straws can have a papery or cardboard-like flavour, while the glue used to make it can also have a disgusting chemical taste to it. A paper straw will ruin the flavour of your milkshake or drink in either case and ruin your experience, making it a poor substitute for a plastic straw.
The worst part about paper straws is that they will completely destroy your drinks if they are manufactured in low-quality. When the straw enters the liquid, it dissolves, leaving tiny bits of paper floating around in the drinker's cup or glass. As a result, the person's enjoyment of their drink is drastically impacted in a way that a plastic straw would not.
So, what's the answer? Even though I despise metal straws, I can't dispute that they provide a more long-term answer to the straw problem. The average person is unlikely to carry a metal straw with them wherever they go. Starbucks has reached a consensus. Their plastic straws have been phased out in favour of new lids that look like those used on sippy cups.
By 2020, Starbucks intends to stop using plastic straws. Is this a solution to the problem of plastic waste? No, of course not! Plastic things will always be needed, in my opinion; we are far too reliant on them. At the very least, they aren't made of paper.