Disposing of plastic straws.

Nope, cruise ships ? do not put any food waste or straws or anything else into the sea! Thankfully most cruise lines have removed plastic straws and sent them for industrial recycling. My understanding is that there needs to be a large quantity to go for industrial recycling. Specialist. Unable to clarify what “large” indicates though. Black food trays also go in quantity for industrial recycling

If you dispose of them correctly.....why do you think they will end up in the sea? Surely plastic in the sea comes from scumbags who throw litter into rivers and leave it on beaches, chuck it from boats etc?

Yes! I’m surprised, but delighted, at MacDonalds’ decision to cease issuing plastic straws and revert to paper straws.
They had refused but then suddenly made the Press announcement! Very pleased about this.
We always say, “No straw, thank you.” When ordering drinks. Now we just need Prezzo and other chains to follow MacDonalds’ exampke?‼️?

The will have to go in the bin eventually so you should use them and they will go to landfill. They exist and they have to go somewhere.

I know you are maddy
If MacD is on board maybe more people will start to take notice. It’s a sad fact the chain has a huge influence on the younger generation but this could be the silver lining.

Crafts. use them yourself or donate them to a school/playgroup.

Some great ideas. Thank you
BTW Waitrose cotton buds have no plastic in them. The stick bit is paper.

I'm all for not using plastic and recycling more, however if we convert to using paper straws etc. that means more trees will be cut down so it's no win situation. I wash what plastic straws I have left in the dishwasher so reuse them several times before they get too tatty.

The only solution, I'm afraid, to solve the problem of pollution is to severely curtail the world population by enforced reduction of new births. After all, it's not actually the plastic that's the problem but the thoughtless humans who do not dispose of it in a safe and sensible manner!

I save all of my plastic tops and use them in plantpots and garden containers as drainage instead of broken crocks. Makes the pots lighter to move around too.

What a brilliant idea kathyd. Makes note.

I just bought a set of 6 stainless steel straws with a brush to clean them from Lakeland. You can recycle plastic straws by putting them in a plastic bottle with a plastic top. It is not the material that is the problem as much as the size. They are too small for the sorters to recognise as are bottle tops. If you put them together they can be recycled but most people can't be bothered.

I'm going to use mine to drink out of..

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Children's Activity Morning at church tomorrow, so we are going to be using up plastic straws and packaging to make a balloon-powered vehicle.

Surely you can re-use plastic straws if you wash them?
I've never bought them, so don't know.

Make an 'insect hotel' for the garden. The straws would be a nice snug home for some tiny creepy crawlies

Silly question maybe. Why do you need straws, plastic or otherwise? Managed to bring up three children without a straw and never see a straw in their houses now.

Me too Leeds.
Recently we were invited for a meal and the starter was a fruit puree which you could suck through a straw (plastic).
I used a spoon.
I do use cotton buds though - must reconsider.

My husband needs to use a straw he is disabled. He can’t tip his head back. I rinse his straws and reuse them.

I asked for a straw for him in a cafe and it melted in his drink!(coffee) Those metal ones from Lakeland sound like what we need, if I remember to take it out with us.

I have a box of plastic straws that I bought when my 2 children were about 6 and 8. They are now 31 and 33 years old. 100 in the box originally and there are still 74. I have always washed them you see. Only when they've been chewed did I throw them away. My granddaughter uses a cup with a solid straw when she visits. Now I can't throw them away as I feel guilty so they'll probably still be here when I croak it!

But how do you clean properly inside the straw? Unless you have a very fine brush its difficult to do it properly.

A restaurant where I often lunch with a friend has now taken to cardboard straws. They are just as effective as plastic straws and do not disintegrate in use.