About Straw Free September

DESCRIPTION:

Straw Free September, #StrawFreeSeptember, is created by New Zealand's Our Seas Our Future. It encourages businesses and individuals to abstain from using single-use straws for a month.

Single-use plastic straws and other single-use plastics, including tableware, bags, and cotton buds, overwhelmingly contribute to global refuse contamination. The famous image of the sea turtle with a straw jammed up its nose is just one example of the danger plastics pose to our oceans, birds, fish, and wildlife. Most of these plastics are not recycled and end up in the sea, landfills, and rivers. Scientists warn that in the year 2050, the ocean will contain more plastic than fish. It is a remarkable prophecy, given plastic has only existed since 1869, and single-use plastics didn't become popular until the 1970s.

The first plastic debris in our oceans was observed in the 1960s. That means in less than 90 years, if the 2050 prediction proves accurate, we'll (that's everyone in the world) have successfully polluted our world's oceans, food supplies, and natural resources far beyond the first 100,000 years of human history. We did it in the span of one lifetime, simply for convenience.

Straw Free September is your opportunity to begin to reverse that by simply focusing on one item: plastic straws. Here is how to do that:

1) Ask your bartender or waiter, "no straw please," with your drinks. Every less straw makes a difference to the ocean's health.

2) Take snaps at your favorite places working to reduce straw waste. Use the hashtag #StrawFreeSeptember to honor these organizations.

3) Bring your own! Plastic straw alternatives exist.

4) Ask your favorite establishment to go Straw Free! They can offer alternatives such as metal straws, which can be washed.