Six-Point Critical Analysis of Current Event

 Six-Point Critical Analysis of Current Event:

 D.C. PLASTIC STRAW BAN BEGINS

My blog posting is available online at: 

1. Exploratory:

Straws are being banned all around America, and D.C. is taking another big leap to protect the earth. Effective Jan. 1, 2019, D.C. banned the use of plastic straws throughout the city, and is switching to better alternatives. Many businesses are switching to paper straws or hay straws that can be recycled, and are finding that not many people notice the change. Some restaurants and bars are also using reusable straws, which can be cleaned and used multiple times. The change from plastic to more eco-friendly materials like paper is helping the city to be better for the environment. By waving out plastic straws, they’re ensuring that more material is recycled, and the city is doing their part in helping the planet.

2. Diagnostic:

The reason why D.C. and many other cities are banning the use of plastic straws is because of the impacts they’ve had on our environments. Constantly using plastic straws can generate “up to 170 million to 390 million” (Jacob Fenston) used straws a day in the U.S., which hardly ever gets recycled. These plastic tubes end up in our rivers, our fields, our floors, and eventually in our own food chain. The straw breaks down into small microplastics, and our wildlife like fish and turtles consume them. Plastic has had a negative impact on our environments since it was first invented,  so removing straws is one step in the right direction.

3. Cause and Effect:

Removing plastic straws out of the equation eliminates the possibility of more plastic waste that won’t be recycled. By taking the plastic out, it brings in room for new ideas and safer alternatives like paper or hay based straws. Removing the plastic will help our ecosystem, humanity’s health because less microplastics will be consumed, as well as reducing the use of plastic in our day to day lives. Plastic is not an end all to the world if it’s taken out, and people don’t notice much of a difference between the alternate straw materials in the end.

4. Priority:

The most important issue that the U.S. is facing right now is that not enough people are recycling the plastic they’re using. “Only 9 percent of plastic is recycled” (Jacob Fenston) in the world, so why would we keep using plastic if it does more harm than good to our environment. Plastics should eventually be phased out completely, and a good first step to that is by eliminating the use of plastic straws. Plastic straws aren’t an absolute must for drinking something to the general population, and if it is required by someone, there are healthier and safer alternatives to use. 

5. Application:

Plastic straws, as well as plastic as a whole, does not ever evaporate or go away naturally. When it hits our oceans, it sits and breaks down to very tiny pieces called microplastics. These plastics are then consumed by our fish, which affects the food chain. Seeing this example is just one of the reasons why we need to remove plastic straws from everyday life. Simply don’t use a straw the next time you get a drink if it’s plastic, or bring your own straw with you in your bag. If everyone removed the use of plastic straws, a portion of plastic use would decrease. Eliminating straws from my life wouldn’t be a catastrophe, and it wouldn’t be in the majority of other peoples’ lives as well. Taking this one small step, if everyone participated, would help our environment out tremendously.

6. Critical:

Reading on how many straws a day are used and how little plastic gets recycled is alarming. The use of plastic straws is causing a very negative impact to the earth as a whole, yet it’s such a simple thing to rule out. No one really goes out of their way to think just how much removing straws can do, which is why there needs to be more awareness towards eliminating plastics in everyday life. This is why I think starting at straws can be a cornerstone for many people, as well as a society. Plastic straws can be easily replaced by safer alternatives that won’t damage the environment, and this removal wouldn’t cause a big change in how we drink. Most people in D.C., when the straws were changed to paper or hay, hardly noticed a difference, and didn’t realize that the material was changed in the first place. Removing plastic straws from everyday drinking use is a positive cornerstone to saving the earth one step at a time.

Sources Cited: 

Howard, B. C., Gibbens, S., Zachos, E., & Parker, L. (2021, May 3). A running list of action on plastic pollution. Environment. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/ocean-plastic-pollution-solutions. 

Plastic straws now officially banned in D.C. WAMU. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://wamu.org/story/19/01/02/plastic-straws-now-officially-banned-in-d-c/. 

Plastic straws suck. but will banning them make waterways less polluted? WAMU. (2018, July 18). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://wamu.org/story/18/07/18/plastic-straws-suck-will-banning-make-waterways-less-polluted/.