Americans use about five hundred million plastic straws each day. Plastic straws contribute to lots of pollution, which can risk the lives of marine life. Even though one plastic straw may not seem like a huge deal, the numbers add up quickly since they are constantly being used worldwide. Plastic straws pose a large health hazard towards the environment because they make up about four percent of the plastic pollution. Since only a few recycling programs accept these straws, they are thrown away and even polluted on streets and highways. In result, the straws wind up in our oceans, killing millions of marine life each year. Marine life, such as turtles and whales, and birds accidentally ingest plastic, leading to injury or death. Plastic straws are not biodegradable; therefore, they can stay on the earth up to two hundred years until they degrade. When the plastic does degrade, it releases toxic chemicals that can cause further harm to the environment.

However, there are several alternatives to plastic straws that can dramatically reduce the amount of plastic pollution and the risk of marine life. One alternative is a metal straw, which is reusable and sold online for cheap prices. Collapsible metal straws are easily accessible so that people can bring them wherever they go and use them at restaurants instead of using the provided plastic straw. Another alternative is a paper straw. Paper straws are biodegradable, which means they break down into natural materials and can be recycled. Another alternative is to fully eliminate the use of any straw when it is nonessential. To decrease the number of plastic straws used around the country, we can contact large companies, such as fast food restaurants, and convince them to switch to biodegradable straws. These restaurants would then be using straws that can be recycled instead of using straws that harm the environment, having a positive effect on the environment. If we do this, we can target large companies that distribute large numbers of plastic straws and overcome the issue more effectively by substituting the problem with an alternative.

To combat this issue, we can contact large fast food companies, including McDonald’s and Wendy’s, and convince them to switch to alternatives, such as paper straws. Since millions of people around the country go to these restaurants every day and order beverages, a large number of plastic straws are being used. By eliminating the use of plastic straws and turning to alternatives, we could reduce the distribution and use of over a million plastic straws in just one day. The numbers pile up easily and quickly, so the effects would be tremendous. Over time, the number of plastic straws would decrease, while the number of paper straws would increase. In addition, other major companies could be influenced by this change and substitute their plastic straws for alternatives, further reducing the number of plastic pollution. If we switch to paper and metal straws, millions of marine life would be saved from plastic ingestion and toxic chemicals. Additionally, the environment would have less plastic pollution. If we start reducing pollution and the use of plastic now, we can save the beautiful marine life that fills our earth before the destruction is permanent and cannot be reversed.