What to do with Plastic Straws instead of Throwing them Away

Sometimes they give you a straw before you can tell them you’ve got a reusable one.

We’ve all heard that we need to stop using plastic straws. They are a big part of our environmental waste. Maybe you’ve picked up a few reusable straws that you bring with when you go to restaurants and cafes. Many cafes have even began switching to cups that don’t require straws. But still, chances are, you’ve been in a situation where a barista put a plastic straw in your iced coffee before you had a chance to pull out your stainless steel straw. This happens fairly often. I’ve noticed that there is a big focus on not using plastic straws, but, as long as there are still plastic straws on the market, we should also be talking about what to do if you get stuck with one. There has to be better options than throwing it away. So I’ve compiled a few ideas, and I encourage you to add some ideas to the comments if you have any!

Reuse them

This one isn’t the best option. Plastic straws are meant to disposable, and should probably not be reused more than once. But maybe, after you finish your drink, instead of throwing the straw away, rinse it out and use it just one more time. One of the biggest issues with plastic straws is that they are usually only used for about five minutes before making their way to…