paper straws do not make any sense any way you look at it. Are we saying that we are okay to cut trees to make straws when we could make them out of petroleum ?

Moreover, paper straws are not even recyclable due to water content which makes them soggy. Plastic ones are almost 100% recyclable

Most importantly, unlike plastic straws, they are laced with glue and other chemicals which gets ingested.

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teiferer 27 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

> Plastic ones are almost 100% recyclable

Nope, that's a myth. Plastic is essentially unrecyclable. Some types of plastic can be made into "lower" quality types with lots of effort, but there is no circular reuse. The oil and plastic industries want to make you believe that this is all a solved problem, but it very much is not.

In contrast, paper and wood products just rot away at the end of their life, and a new tree grows in their place.

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minitech an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> Are we saying that we are okay to cut trees to make straws when we could make them out of petroleum ?

It’s more okay to make things out of paper than plastic, yes. Plastic waste and microplastics are a huge problem. Trees are a renewable resource.

> Moreover, paper straws are not even recyclable due to water content which makes them soggy. Plastic ones are almost 100% recyclable

Plastic straws are almost never (literally never?) recycled. Paper straws are supposed to be fully biodegradable.

> Most importantly, unlike plastic straws, they are laced with glue and other chemicals which gets ingested.

But yes, this and the usability issue make the other points moot (n.b. leaching harmful chemicals is a concern that also applies to plastic straws and paper cups). The vast majority of existing straws should be replaced with no straw, and most beyond that with reusable straws.

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injidup 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Soggy is not a problem.Recycling paper involves wetting it to loose the fibres and then reforming it. It's how paper is made.

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ulrikrasmussen 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

But usually paper and cardboard that has been in contact with food is not recyclable because it contaminates the batch. That's why pizza boxes also cannot go into the cardboard/paper fraction.

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vanviegen an hour ago | parent [-]

No, that's because pizza boxes are contaminated with fat. That messes up the paper recycling process. Water is fine.

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GCUMstlyHarmls an hour ago | parent [-]

Man, if that's the problem then I can only assume any fast food box is not recyclable too?

	▲	teiferer 25 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		The point of paper fast food boxes is not to recycle them but to have no trash in the end as they just burn or rot, all in a sustainable way. In contrast to plastic.

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bluescrn an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

> Soggy is not a problem.

It is when you're trying to suck a thick milkshake through one, though...

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vanviegen an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

> Are we saying that we are okay to cut trees to make straws when we could make them out of petroleum ?

Uhh.. yes? Trees can be grown, just like any agriculture product.

> Plastic ones are almost 100% recyclable

In theory. However that rarely works out in practice, due to the complications of mixing various types of plastic in a single stream of garbage.

> Most importantly, unlike plastic straws, they are laced with glue and other chemicals which gets ingested.

The glue for paper straws will be a biodegradable water-based adhesive. It may be finished with natural wax. And that's it. I think you are intentionally spreading FUD saying glue and chemicals.

That being said, I hate paper straws. I like bamboo straws though.