Lets talk about plastic straws

The UK has now banned the sale of single use plastic straws. This has created a huge problem for many people within the disability community. Many disabled people use plastic straws for both hot and cold drinks. The reasons for this varies between disabled people. Personally I only use straws for cold drinks and a a travel cup for hot drinks. There are resuseable straws, but these can actually be inaccessible for disabled people. 

Metal straws are not flexible, therefore making it difficult for some people to drink and means adjusting the straw is not possible. They also cannot be used in hot drinks as they can get very hot. 

Hard plastic straws again are not flexible and are often not bent at the top, making it harder for some people to drink. They also break easily, creating a choking hazard. 

Paper straws disintegrate quickly and some people do not finish their drink before this. The fact it disintegrates so quickly means it can become a choking hazard. Again these straws are not flexible. 

Silicone straws are a bit more flexible but not much and are still not as good as plastic straws. They are not good for limited mobility. Personally I find the texture of these an issue and for me this is not a possible alternative. 

I disagree with the ban on plastic straws due to the issue this has created for the disability community. We need to reduce single use plastic, but banning single use plastic straws is not the solution. Especially with the amount of packaging some items from supermarkets come in. 


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