OPINION: Straw ban is not enough for real environmental change

Walk into any one of the seven Starbucks locations within a one-mile radius of USC’s campus and I guarantee that your go-to order has changed: Your normal iced caramel macchiato is conspicuously strawless.

In early July, I picked up my drink at Starbucks, which had a new lid resembling the top of a sippy cup, and reveled in the amazing feeling that I was saving the planet. Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks stated: “For our partners and customers, this is a significant milestone to achieve our global aspiration of sustainable coffee, served to our customers in more sustainable ways.” It wasn’t only me who felt victorious in this feat. The Walt Disney Company, another major corporate player, has also promised to ban single-use plastic straws and stirrers by mid-2019. Some cities across the country are now considering the trendy ban; major metropolitan areas like Seattle and San Francisco have been pushing through legislation to engage in similar efforts. But banning straws is not enough.

Back in March, USC’s Environmental Student Assembly launched a petition to ban the use of plastic straws in campus dining halls. ESA’s successful campaign parallels the movement that is currently sweeping the nation. The petition, which garnered over 1,000 signatures, aimed to ensure that all waste coming from dining halls would be 100 percent compostable — a goal hindered by the use of straws.

Similar to USC’s ESA, many people all over the country look at these tangible policy outcomes as a victory in the pursuit of environmental justice — but, we have only cleared the first hurdle.

USC students are lucky that  ESA recognizes that the plastic straw ban is only the first step in creating a more sustainable environment, it’s difficult to make the same claim about corporations like Starbucks and Disney. This small act is only meant to placate the public’s concern for the environment. Urging companies to take up larger and more beneficial projects, like aiming for a zero waste product or creating more ethically sound practices, is a hard feat.

Many critics of the straw ban movement are quick to point out that plastic straws seem like a very small piece of a much larger problem. Straws make up about 4 percent of the amount of plastic waste in the ocean, but only .03 percent of the eight million tons of waste. Straws make up such a small percentage of the plastic polluting our waters that it does not make sense to focus all of our attention specifically on it.

It seems that viewing straw bans as a glorious win for the planet and a win for corporations only distracts from the true problem. The problem with small policy changes is that they deter organizations and institutions from effecting positive and long-term change. The straw ban is merely a Band-Aid solution on a bullet hole and stalls more productive conversation.

To make an actual impact, the straw ban needs to transcend its titular focus — the straw. While the straw ban quickly gained the support and sympathy of many after a disturbing video of a sea turtle with a straw up its nose went viral, straws are not and should not be the only issue. The movement must expand its message to encompass all single-use, or disposable, plastic items. Products like water bottles, soda cans, plastic bags, stirrers, food packaging, shopping bags and many more plastics must also be included in the conversation. As global citizens and stewards of the planet, we have a moral obligation to highlight and act on some of the more pressing reasons why our oceans are dirty, our air is polluted, marine life is suffering and landfills are overflowing.

And in addition to shining a spotlight on the direct hazards of single-use plastic products, we must be educated on the entire process of their creation. Once the public realizes that fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses play a large role in the production of these items and that only a small percentage of all plastic is recycled, the movement can finally move beyond straws.

We cannot let the straw ban become more damaging to the environment than the straws themselves. A small win should not distract us from pursuing other crucial policy actions. Because once we think that the work is done, we forget about the problem.

So remember, next time you order a drink at Starbucks, skip the straw. But think about the other ways you can help save our planet.