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Starbucks is eliminating plastic straws from all stores


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https://www.abc15.com/news/starbucks-is-eliminating-plastic-straws-from-all-stores

 

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The changes will help Starbucks (SBUX) eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws per year, the company said.

 

Plastic straws contribute to ocean pollution and pose a danger to marine life. Some governments have begun banning them.

 

To eliminate straws, Starbucks is transitioning from the flat, plastic lids that require them, to ones that feature a raised lip you can drink from. The new designs have drawn comparisons to an adult "sippy cup."

 

Frappuccino drinks will still be served with dome lids, but with straws made from paper or compostable plastic. Coffee drinkers who prefer straws for other beverages can request the new eco-friendly versions.

 

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1 minute ago, Jose said:

 

That's totally the reason it sucks.

 

Every time we go to SD I get dragged to Sea World.  On one hand, I'm glad they've stopped the Shamu shows, but on the other, the park is really lame.  At least they have beer.  I suppose the fact that I've been there nearly a dozen times doesn't help.  I hope that SW goes into chapter 7 and the land can be reused for something else.  

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Starbucks should charge an extra $1 a straw just so I can watch people lose their shit like when Dunkin’ Donuts decided to charge a quarter to people asking for a foam cup to go over their plastic iced coffee cup because god fucking forbid their precious epidermis touch a sweating beverage or they spend 3.99 on a koozie that will last them until ragnarok. 

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I've been seeing a fair amount of pushback on this (or more specifically on Seattle's complete ban on straws) on my Facebook feed from people who say that it's a misguided policy; trying to do something good for the environment at the cost of harming handicapped people that rely on the flexibility of plastic straws and are unable to use other types of straws due to them being a hazard. 

 

It seems like there should be some middle ground.

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5 hours ago, Nokra said:

I've been seeing a fair amount of pushback on this (or more specifically on Seattle's complete ban on straws) on my Facebook feed from people who say that it's a misguided policy; trying to do something good for the environment at the cost of harming handicapped people that rely on the flexibility of plastic straws and are unable to use other types of straws due to them being a hazard. 

 

It seems like there should be some middle ground.

 

 

People who need plastic straws can bring their own with them, much like people who need anti-tremor spoons do the same. The actual need for plastic straws is incredibly small.

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5 hours ago, Nokra said:

I've been seeing a fair amount of pushback on this (or more specifically on Seattle's complete ban on straws) on my Facebook feed from people who say that it's a misguided policy; trying to do something good for the environment at the cost of harming handicapped people that rely on the flexibility of plastic straws and are unable to use other types of straws due to them being a hazard. 

 

It seems like there should be some middle ground.

 

Yup, a lot of cripples are pissed about this. 

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39 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

 

People who need plastic straws can bring their own with them, much like people who need anti-tremor spoons do the same. The actual need for plastic straws is incredibly small.

 

While what you say is true, the articles I saw said that this suggestion is essentially creating a tax on people with disabilities, as they are then forced to pay for something that most people would not. Sure, it's only a few cents (a 500 pack is $7 on Amazon, working out to $0.01398 per straw), but it's something.

 

I need to look into it a bit more though to know for sure what exactly the law says, but in any case my impression was that people were very upset about this, especially since the issue of people with disabilities needing straws was raised and it still went through in Seattle, leading many to feel like their need wasn't heard, or worse yet, that it didn't matter to those making the decisions.  

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2 hours ago, Nokra said:

 

While what you say is true, the articles I saw said that this suggestion is essentially creating a tax on people with disabilities, as they are then forced to pay for something that most people would not. Sure, it's only a few cents (a 500 pack is $7 on Amazon, working out to $0.01398 per straw), but it's something.

 

I need to look into it a bit more though to know for sure what exactly the law says, but in any case my impression was that people were very upset about this, especially since the issue of people with disabilities needing straws was raised and it still went through in Seattle, leading many to feel like their need wasn't heard, or worse yet, that it didn't matter to those making the decisions.  

 

I mean yes, but it's also saving a tonne of disposable plastic waste. It's like saying that removing free plastic bags from stores creates a tax on those who can't carry 20 items in their arms at once. It's true, but the benefits outweigh the cons. And in the case of straws, the cost is so negligible as to be nothing. If it was adding $500 or even $100 a year to disabled people then I would think it's not right, but this is a few dollars at most, assuming they don't purchase longer-lasting metal straws for themselves instead.

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40 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

I mean yes, but it's also saving a tonne of disposable plastic waste. It's like saying that removing free plastic bags from stores creates a tax on those who can't carry 20 items in their arms at once. It's true, but the benefits outweigh the cons. And in the case of straws, the cost is so negligible as to be nothing. If it was adding $500 or even $100 a year to disabled people then I would think it's not right, but this is a few dollars at most, assuming they don't purchase longer-lasting metal straws for themselves instead.

 

I get what you're saying, and even assuming that someone used 10 straws per day, at the price from Amazon above this works out to roughly $50 per year, which is not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, and you're right, the potential savings in plastic are enormous, given the scale of some of these businesses. 

 

Here's one such article that was posted by an acquaintance of mine. They talked about bringing metal straws as well, and the problem is often that people either a) need the flexibility of a plastic straw (e.g. they're not able to get close enough to the straw and need to bend it the last little bit to their mouth) or it actually becomes a hazard to have such a rigid object near the face. 

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