Plastic straws are one of the top 10 marine debris items collected during beach clean-ups worldwide. They are polluting the oceans and injuring, even killing, marine wildlife. Many plastic products we use only once, and then throw away. These single-use plastics and causing a massive pollution problem around the world, and we are advocating for people to refuse all single-use plastics, starting with drinking straws.
In the United States alone, we use and throw away 500 million plastic straws each day. That is enough straws to fill over 120 school buses or to circle the Earth two and a half times! Since plastic straws are so lightweight and tend to blow away easily, they rarely make it to landfills or recycling facilities. Other single-use plastics include beverage containers, food wrappers, and packaging, which currently comprise nearly a quarter of all waste in the United States. Since plastics are such a durable material, they never truly ‘go away’ – meaning all plastics that have ever been produced, including items that are only used once, are still around today in some form or another.
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A small sampling of plastic debris collected by the PWF research team -
A bottlenose dolphin seen during a research sighting in 2016 playing with a single-use plastic bag. -
Join us in our campaign to Reuse or Refuse!
Of the single-use plastics out there, plastic straws are a relatively easy item to eliminate by refusing them at bars and restaurants. Additionally, for those who still prefer or require a straw, there are several reusable options, and Pacific Whale Foundation has some options for purchase at our Ocean Stores. Although our efforts are aimed toward plastic straws, we hope that making one small change will inspire people to refuse other single-use plastic items.
We all contribute to the problem, but we can all take action to turn the tide on plastic pollution. Did you know that Pacific Whale Foundation stopped serving straws on our PacWhale ecotour vessels in 2015? Join us in this movement! You can join us in our campaign to #ReuseorRefuse your straw by signing our pledge and telling your favorite bar/restaurant to go straw free!