Something I have been talking a lot about on Instagram is the importance of using reusable straws, and I thought Earth Day served as a perfect opportunity to bridge the gap and talk about it here on the blog!

According to Mother Earth Living, the manufacturing of plastic products releases a whole set of carcinogenic, home-disruptive and neurotoxic chemicals into the atmosphere. These products eventually find their way to our ecology through the air, water and land pollution. Not only are plastic straws bad when they are produced, but discarding them also has long-lasting effects on our environment. Over 500 million plastic straws are used (and disposed) each day in America, and most end up in the ocean. After a long period of time, all of the plastic in the ocean breaks down into micro plastics, but plastic never fully biodegrades. Plastic is like a sponge, and these micro plastics soak up dangerous toxins in the oceans. These micro plastics are then eaten by fish and are passed up the food chain to us. If we don’t act now, by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Beyond the impact of plastic straws on the ocean, they also are harmful for our health. BPA — BisphenolA — is found in plastic. This chemical mimics the activity of hormones, most commonly Estrogen, and it can lead to a number of health conditions as a result. As I said before, plastic also soaks up dangerous chemicals and toxins through its lifecycle. When you put a straw in your drink, these dangerous chemicals and toxins (like BPA) leech out into your drink. Pretty scary, huh?

After learning all of this, I made it my 2018 goal to not use any single-use straws. I quickly found out how central straws our to day to day lives. Restaurants automatically give you straws in your drinks, your Starbucks mobile orders come with straws already put in them, and there are little plastic stirring straws next to every coffee station everywhere. I have gotten much better at asking waiters for no straw, waiting in line at Starbucks to ensure I don’t get a straw (or just forgoing my daily Starbucks altogether), and carrying my reusable straws with me everywhere. Though this is a small switch to your daily routine, it makes a huge difference!

Stainless Steel Metal Straws

I bought these incredible metallic metal straws (pictured above) on Amazon. They came with two straw cleaners, which I *highly* recommend you buy if you invest in reusable straws! They make cleaning them much easier if you do not have a dishwasher. These straws are dishwasher safe, BPA free, and do not leech harmful chemicals or interact with what you are drinking. In case you couldn’t tell from my plethora of photos with my rainbow straws, I love these straws the most. Not only do they look cool, but (if this is even possible) they make whatever I’m drinking taste better??

Acrylic Straws

Another great alternative to plastic straws are acrylic straws. Like metal straws, they are BPA free. Though these straws may look a bit prettier than stainless steel straws, they are not dishwasher safe. (As a college student this has not been a problem, though, as I do not have a dishwasher.) I bought a pack of straws at the ban.do sample sale (check them out in my saved sample sale stories on Instagram) and love using them! They are thicker than my metal straws, and are much better for smoothies and thicker drinks, whereas the metal straws are quite thin. Starbucks sells sets of “cold-drink” reusable straws in their stores that are not only acrylic but are also in their signature green color.

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