Straws?

[bEwAbG]

This straw thing has become a bugaboo of the right-wing media ("be outraged!") so there's no use trying to argue facts and figures.  It's a conspiracy as far as they're concerned and nothing will change their mind, not taking a moment to realize that the controversy is manufactured and promoted by the industries that produce plastic products.  Same thing happens whenever a locality proposes getting rid of plastic bags.

[MizDemeanor]

Plastic bags have been repleaced a looong time ago. They they are actually still allowed to be used is part of some kind of business conspiracy that is well over my head to try to resolve. It's not part of keeping the oceans environmentally clean, or keeping the enviroment safe. 

[rvmike]

The plastic bag charge is a joke, some senators family members owns a bag company. Last time I went to the market  bought veggies and a few other items. Took a few extra bags from the produce depl and checked out. The cashier asked if I wanted to by a bag and said no, you give them away free in produce

[MizDemeanor]

4 minutes ago, rvmike said:

The plastic bag charge is a joke, some senators family members owns a bag company. Last time I went to the market  bought veggies and a few other items. Took a few extra bags from the produce depl and checked out. The cashier asked if I wanted to by a bag and said no, you give them away free in produce

Produce bags and plastic grocery bags at check out are recylable in plastic recycling bins.

[rvmike]

They are all still plastic, the produce bags I keep for dog walks and when those run out I use my Amazon 1000 pk for 5.99. Whats the diff.?

Edited March 24, 2019 by rvmike

[rvmike]

Also, if I straw came with your drink would you send it back??

[lisiamc]

44 minutes ago, rvmike said:

Also, if I straw came with your drink would you send it back??

 

Yes, I’d send the straw back, (not the drink!) since I don’t like straws with my drink, plastic or not.

Edited March 24, 2019 by lisiamc

[MizDemeanor]

41 minutes ago, rvmike said:

They are all still plastic, the produce bags I keep for dog walks and when those run out I use my Amazon 1000 pk for 5.99. Whats the diff.?

 

Are the bags you use Bio D??? You pay extra for that....

 

And.... IF MY DRINK DIDN'T COME WITH A STRAW WOULD I SEND IT BACK.....

 

Hahahahahaha

Edited March 24, 2019 by MizDemeanor

[Fogfog]

So the thing to do is buy a big box of plastic straws to share at the Cruise Critic Sail Away and meet/greet. 🍹🥤

[Jazzbo]

I bought Hot Sips silicone straws (available on Amazon) for drinking coffee after I had my teeth whitened.  They come in a tube that you can store them in.

[hrhdhd]

16 hours ago, MizDemeanor said:

Produce bags and plastic grocery bags at check out are recylable in plastic recycling bins.

 

Not in all areas. Our county recycling people BEG people not to put recyclables in plastic bags and then in the bin, and we also can't put the bags in empty. They've taken to picking neighborhoods at random and inspecting bins out for pickup; if they find plastic bags, they'll give a warning.

[MizDemeanor]

2 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

 

Not in all areas. Our county recycling people BEG people not to put recyclables in plastic bags and then in the bin, and we also can't put the bags in empty. They've taken to picking neighborhoods at random and inspecting bins out for pickup; if they find plastic bags, they'll give a warning.

Ours also, we are not allowed either, but the grocery stores still take these unwanted bags on all of our behalf for reccyling. 

[NLH Arizona]

1 hour ago, MizDemeanor said:

Ours also, we are not allowed either, but the grocery stores still take these unwanted bags on all of our behalf for reccyling. 

Same with me.

[Sascol]

For the 6000th time, It’s not about throwing straws in the ocean. It’s about preventing unnecessary waste that does not decompose. 

[Germancruiser]

Sascol- I agree - I agree totaly. And we really don´t need straws. Anyway I dont get the problem- there are alternative staws- they  do not last that long- of course- but either drink up or order a new composable straw.

As I can read- some are going along with the idea of the  " Faked News" of that  " popular"  man who shows such tender love and care for our planet!

Edited March 25, 2019 by Germancruiser

[johno1234]

On 3/23/2019 at 1:09 PM, lisiamc said:

 

Of the many bits of plastic, including straws, in the ocean, an infinitesimal number of them got there because someone dropped or lost them overboard from a cruise ship.  

 

From what I’ve read,  the usual route for plastic to get into the ocean is for it to be put in a landfill which gets flooded because it’s on low-lying ground, and the rubbish gets carried out to sea.  Some countries or regions within a country contract their rubbish and/or recyclables to be carried across the ocean on barges for disposal in other countries.  Sometimes the rubbish is swept off the barges  in a storm, and sometimes it is just dumped in the ocean by unscrupulous contractors.  Sometimes it gets to the landfill in the other country, but is swept out to sea by a flood/hurricane/cyclone.  

 

The reason straws have been singled out as a starting point is because they are difficult/unprofitable to recycle, and because they are colourful and they float, so they show right up in any heap of plastic floating in the ocean or washed ashore.  Alternatives to plastic straws are pretty convenient for most people, so they make a good starting point for weaning us off single-use plastic.  I’m sure plastic bottles are on the target list sometime soon as well.

 

 

90% of oceanic plastic comes from 10 rivers in Asia and Africa:

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/07/26/asia-africa-cause-90-plastic-pollution-worlds-oceans-13233

 

I don't think we need to beat ourselves up over straws.

 

[ipeeinthepool]

6 hours ago, Sascol said:

For the 6000th time, It’s not about throwing straws in the ocean. It’s about preventing unnecessary waste that does not decompose. 

 

I agree, the issue isn't plastic straws.  The same people that tell me that plastic straws aren't necessary also tell me that I don't need plastic bags, a large car, etc.  The issue is about others telling me what is and isn't necessary.  Thanks for your concern, but I'm perfectly capable of determining my own needs and desires.  

[lisiamc]

When you see the plastic that washes out of those rivers in Asia and Africa, lots of it says Safeway, or Tesco or Publix or Desani or any number of other western brands.  We send our plastic there from the USA or the UK or several other countries that try to do their part by recycling, or more usually, by outsourcing their recycling and their rubbish disposal to countries in Asia and Africa where it doesn’t always happen the way we think it will.

 

Straws are just the tip of the iceberg.  We don’t need to beat ourselves up over straws, we need to beat ourselves up over the sheer amount of single-use plastics that end up in the ocean.  Any reduction is going to be a good thing.

Edited March 25, 2019 by lisiamc

[ipeeinthepool]

5 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

When you see the plastic that washes out of those rivers in Asia and Africa, lots of it says Safeway, or Tesco or Publix or Desani or any number of other western brands.  We send our plastic there from the USA or the UK or any number of other countries that try to do their part by recycling, or more usually, by outsourcing their recycling and their rubbish disposal to countries in Asia and Africa where it doesn’t always happen the way we think it will.

 

Straws are just the tip of the iceberg.  We don’t need to beat ourselves up over straws, we need to beat ourselves up over the sheer amount of single-use plastics that end up in the ocean.  Any reduction is going to be a good thing.

 

If that is really the case then we can stop it today.  Stop sending plastic to these countries because it doesn't get recycled.  Problem solved, the plastic stays out of the ocean.  Send this waste to the incinerators or the landfills.  Just another example of people doing something that "feels good" but doesn't solve the problem.

Edited March 25, 2019 by ipeeinthepool

[Fishkillbill]

3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I agree, the issue isn't plastic straws.  The same people that tell me that plastic straws aren't necessary also tell me that I don't need plastic bags, a large car, etc.  The issue is about others telling me what is and isn't necessary.  Thanks for your concern, but I'm perfectly capable of determining my own needs and desires.  

 

Thank you. My thoughts exactly !

[NLH Arizona]

5 hours ago, lisiamc said:

When you see the plastic that washes out of those rivers in Asia and Africa, lots of it says Safeway, or Tesco or Publix or Desani or any number of other western brands.  We send our plastic there from the USA or the UK or several other countries that try to do their part by recycling, or more usually, by outsourcing their recycling and their rubbish disposal to countries in Asia and Africa where it doesn’t always happen the way we think it will.

 

Straws are just the tip of the iceberg.  We don’t need to beat ourselves up over straws, we need to beat ourselves up over the sheer amount of single-use plastics that end up in the ocean.  Any reduction is going to be a good thing.

And now China is refusing to take our recycling, so I guess we will see a lot of those straws, plastic bags, etc. in our country.  Straws might be a little thing, but at least it is a start.

[Tourist1292]

1 minute ago, NLH Arizona said:

And now China is refusing to take our recycling, so I guess we will see a lot of those straws, plastic bags, etc. in our country.  Straws might be a little thing, but at least it is a start.

Unfortunately, many of the recycling waste shipped to China ended up in abandoned cargo or ships. They are not really recycled but simply exporting trash. Recycling should be done locally.

[NLH Arizona]

1 minute ago, Tourist1292 said:

Unfortunately, many of the recycling waste shipped to China ended up in abandoned cargo or ships. They are not really recycled but simply exporting trash. Recycling should be done locally.

I agree, but now we have to start doing it, but for years we have shipped it to China and really didn't care what became of it.  

[bEwAbG]

A business no longer providing plastic straws to its customers is far from telling anyone what else to do or how to do it.  They're not even saying that you cannot bring your own plastic straws.  They're just not going to give them to you anymore.  That is the business's prerogative.  You are free to act accordingly.  I would think the free-market-rules-all types would understand this more than anyone, but somehow they never do.

 

 

[Marelaine]

We just returned from our Silhouette cruise. The plastic straws are gone, but the bars have plastic drink stirrers that could be used as straws. The tall drinks, such as Pina Coladas and French Caribbean Sunsets are accessorized with larger paper straws which don't hold up. But hey, turns out I can drink a Pina Colada without a straw. There was also a noticeable cutback on paper napkins and disposable coffee cups. I support Celebrity's effort at reducing unnecessary waste. And yes, I do realize the ship, itself, produces quite a bit of waste. 

For those who need straws, make sure you bring the type you need.