Straws: Paper vs Bioplastic

The recently released Plastics B.A.N. (Better Alternatives Now) List is a series of reports that identify the world’s most polluting plastics in order to better protect our oceans. This report also examines the true life cycle of “plant-based” plastic products, finding that most do not actually break down and that the terms “compostable” and “biodegradable” may be the next generation of greenwashing. The Aardvark biodegradable, compostable paper straws that The Rubbish Whisperer sells were shown to be one of the most sustainable brands. If they make their way into the environment they disappear on land and in water within 6months. 

The Rubbish Whisperer has pulled out information from the report that is relevant to paper straws.

The Plastics BAN List 2.0 includes data from across the United States, focusing on plastics that present the most significant chemical hazards in manufacturing, those that are the most dangerous when absorbed by humans and which persist longest in the environment. Items reported as top offenders include food wrappers, bottle caps, beverage bottles, bags, straws, and lids, made primarily from polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene plastics.

Annually, eight million tons of plastic escapes collection systems to end up in the ocean, where it contributes to the 5.25 trillion particles of plastic smog that choke our marine ecosystems. The Plastics BAN List series provides a window into the true environmental and human health costs of plastics, and can be used to help corporations understand their responsibility to design less harmful products.

Leading non-profit conservation organizations—5 Gyres Institute, Algalita, Californians Against Waste, Clean Production Action, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Responsible Purchasing Network, Story of Stuff, Surfrider Foundation and UPSTREAM—joined together for the project.