Plastic straws are number 11 on the list of the most plastic found in the ocean. They are very hard to recycle because there isn't a market for the type of plastic they're made of. (Of which they're made--for Bare & her mother.:smiley:)

The plastic garbage in the ocean existed long before the tsunami. The point is to stop using so much plastic needlessly, and then a tsunami wonuldn't pose as much of a problem.

In my former little town on Lake Michigan, the campaign is for each person to pick up and dispose of 3 pieces of discarded plastic from the beach every time you go.

I am TOLD, WAS told by people older, that people would send their kids over to the local pub in the evening to bring back a pitcher of beer. Maybe we should bring our own containers for pop? (soda) to the grocery? To eliminate pop bottles? I still wear my old comfortable clothes a lot and reuse whenever I can. I don't throw out leftovers until they are green. We continue to use our old, not energy efficient washer and dryer so that we don't waste all that money and good parts still working.

The buckets are called Growlers. I remember as a kid no older than 11 my father and his brothers would send me to the local bar
in Glendale NY with their Growler to get them beer. Boy times have sure changed things

Yes, straws are a problem but nothing compared to millions of plastic water bottles and single serve plastic coffee pods.

amen

Thanks Perron no, my thoughts exactly. Remember the 80-20 rule. Always work on the problems that will give the biggest gain.

Rollie

Exactly!!!:bigbow: Further it is easier to drink through the straw than trying to drink without the ice cubes getting in the way.

I am concerned though about the waste, so the server should ask if the customer wants a straw or not.

Ha ha! We never lived close enough to a pub, and I probably would have spilled it on the way back.


All the places we have lived (except here? I'm not sure) have filtered water stations in the grocery stores, where you bring your own gallon jugs to be filled.


Water filtration systems in houses make it possible to do away with buying water in plastic bottles.


I like the reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy.

I have seen servers lick their fingers when picking up menus. Also servers exit bathrooms without washing their hands. My son told me that while working in a kitchen when he was in high school, servers and cooks spat into the food when customers irritated them.

[sarcasm on] I’m glad money is so clean when we use it. I read on the internet that if you put all the money end to end it would go from Fenney to Alpha Centuri ( but not back). Definitely should go to Electronic money only. They have also found e-coil in hand sanitizer according to the internet. [sarcasm off]

Please don’t get sprayed by the irrigation water. It smells like [emoji90]

Have you ever though how many disposable diapers are in land fills? Go back to paper straws then and cloth diapers!

You can get cloth diaper service for a similar amount of $ as paper diapers. I realize the convenience involved, but they are the worst.


Somehow I managed to get through two baby boys using cloth diapers. Back then ('70s) the paper diapers, which we were forced to use when traveling, ate holes in their bums. Had to smear Desitin eveywhere.


Yes to paper straws and cloth diapers.

Forced Plastic Use
 

I always as for at least "no straw for the water" if I forget to bring my own straw. For heaven sake, people can switch their straw back and forth if they have water and a drink they bought, if they just feel it is somehow icky to drink from the rim. But I agree, bring a straw or no straw are the best options.

The Publix at Mulberry often forces me to use plastic. I must remember to say "no plastic" or they will wrap multiple items, such as chicken, in a plastic bag before putting it in my cloth bag. Most offensive are what are usually older ******* who "know best'. Even when I ask for "no plastic", and make sure they heard, they ignore me and wrap items in plastic before putting them in my cloth bags. So I have to either watch them as they work, or ask them to allow me to bag my own. It seems odd to me - their generation grew up on "the customer is always right". If I have not had a leak in 60 years of shopping and think it unlikely that I will both have a leak and that fluids will penetrate past the shield at the bottom of plastic bags, that is my right.

The ******* also have an annoying way of carefully turning down the edges of my cloth bags before putting anything in them. This both takes up much of my time, and that of those in line, plus diminishes the capacity of the bag. Its totally unnecessary, the bag can easily be filled without turning down the edges. They frown and protest if I ask them not to turn down the edges of the cloth bags.

You know - they happily accommodate customers who insist on one, two or three items in each bag. Why can't they happily accommodate customers who do not want any plastic bags? Makes no sense.

Why would you ban straws? Ban the production of straws.

What good does it do to ask the server not to bring you a straw? The straw exists already.

If anything, have them make straws out of paper going forward. IMHO, I need a straw when I am at the movies for my large soda.