NEXT TIME YOU’RE OFFERED A STRAW, JUST SAY NO!

PLASTIC straws are one of the worst singleuse offenders and are still a restaurant, bar and takeaway staple, despite a number of major restaurant chains — including PizzaExpress, Wagamama and Wetherspoon — this month pledging to switch from plastic to biodegradable paper alternatives.

Wetherspoon claims its ban alone will stop 70 million plastic straws entering landfill or making their way into the world’s oceans each year.

Approximately two billion are used very briefly and thrown away in London annually. Only a very small portion are recycled because they’re simply too small for most recycling plants to handle.

In the past three years, straws have climbed close to the top of the list of items most commonly found littering seas and beaches around the world, according to Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup data. This makes them a scourge on the environment and a treacherous hazard to wildlife.

Most straws are made of a type of plastic that does not break down easily. Chemicals are used to make the plastic more durable and flexible, and they are often individually wrapped in plastic sleeves, too.

These straws do not biodegrade. Instead, they photodegrade, slowly breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces that are easily eaten by wildlife, poisoning them.

In your quest to cut back on plastic, it is easy to think that refusing to use something small such as a straw represents only a tiny drop in the ocean. You might think you rarely use them and that by stopping, your

impact would be minimal, but this single move can and will have a dramatic, cumulative effect. So, just as early ‘no bag’ pioneers — another campaign led by the Daily Mail — started the plastic-free movement by saying no to bags at the checkout, make a stand and say no when you’re offered a straw.

Every time you are ordering a takeaway or buying drinks at a restaurant, bar or supermarket, get used to saying: ‘No plastic straw, please.’ More and more of the most popular chains are heeding the concerns about plastic and switching to biodegradable paper straws. If a straw is important to you, consider investing in one made from any of the following materials and carrying it with you all the time.

BIODEGRADABLE

LOOK out for straws made of chlorine-free paper and safe dyes. Compostable corn starch straws are available for £6.99 for 300 from littlecherry. co.uk or you can get 25 paper straws from sainsburys.co.uk for £2.

GLASS

THESE are available in short, tall, straight, bent and child sizes and come in lots of different colours.

Handmade from borosilicate glass, they are surprisingly tough and many come with a lifetime automatic replacement guarantee. Pick one that comes with a cleaning brush and a carrying pouch.

You can get four glass straws with a brush for £6.49 from anythingbutplastic.co.uk or StrawGrace sells a pack of five with cleaning brushes for £9.95 on amazon.co.uk.

STAINLESS STEEL

ANOTHER tough, take-anywhere option. Throw one in your handbag, backpack or glove compartment so it’s always to hand. A set of eight straws with two cleaning brushes costs £8.99 from Senhai on amazon.co.uk or you can get a set of four with a brush for £5.99 at anythingbutplastic.co.uk.

BAMBOO

A COMPLETELY natural and excellent alternative to disposable straws, these are made from whole bamboo stalks. If washed and dried properly after each use, they can last for years. Four straws and a brush are £3.99 from anythingbutplastic.co.uk.