Straws?

[rvmike]

And yet nobody wants to talk about what cruise ships dump legally. For those that are going to say it’s treated waste then why can they not dump in a harbor but must be 3-12 miles offshore. Talk about your head in the sand. Princess gets caught dumping bilge water in Alaska and yet all the straw haters are still cruising with them. What am I missing?

[ipeeinthepool]

Just now, rvmike said:

And yet nobody wants to talk about what cruise ships dump legally. For those that are going to say it’s treated waste then why can they not dump in a harbor but must be 3-12 miles offshore. Talk about your head in the sand. Princess gets caught dumping bilge water in Alaska and yet all the straw haters are still cruising with them. What am I missing?

 

Nothing.  That's the situation.

[mek]

41 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

The problem is that cardboard has implications too. Paper products require more energy and greenhouse emissions to make. The real issue with plastic is proper disposal. Litter. Paper has an issue too, carbon emissions. That is why I said earlier I am agnostic on the issue of plastic straws. The only effective answer would be not to use straws at all. We could say go back to glass milk bottles but then that would likely raise other issues. All that sea glass because glass was littered. Now, the issue has come up that China does not want our trash anymore. Recycling costs have gone up. Some communities have now stopped recycling because they can’t afford it. A solution that seems like a solution, eliminating plastic straws or plastic egg cartons may make people feel good but may not be a real solution.

 

 

 

I agree with you and this was the point I brought up earlier.  If something can be eliminated completely, then problem solved - like using your own reusable cloth shopping bags and eliminating plastic bags.  But it's not that easy with many of the products we use and substituting a paper product for a plastic one only creates new problems.  While it may not cause litter and harm marine life the way plastics can, organic waste is the primary component of landfills, not plastic.

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by mek

[Auburn1998]

Just off the Edge. The paper straws are genuinely awful. They don’t make it through one big drink without getting soggy etc. my god there are bigger problems in the world. 

[Wine-O]

Currently on Jewel of the Seas with paper straws.  My bloody mary straw gets soggy half way thru the drink.  They certainly suck as does Celebrity and Royal shifting to them to become PC.  

[Hypo]

On 3/31/2019 at 10:05 AM, Charles4515 said:

 

The problem is that cardboard has implications too. Paper products require more energy and greenhouse emissions to make. The real issue with plastic is proper disposal. Litter. Paper has an issue too, carbon emissions. That is why I said earlier I am agnostic on the issue of plastic straws. The only effective answer would be not to use straws at all. We could say go back to glass milk bottles but then that would likely raise other issues. All that sea glass because glass was littered. Now, the issue has come up that China does not want our trash anymore. Recycling costs have gone up. Some communities have now stopped recycling because they can’t afford it. A solution that seems like a solution, eliminating plastic straws or plastic egg cartons may make people feel good but may not be a real solution.

In our community we have a government sponsored recycling problem.  Except, they don't accept glass containers, as there is not a viable market for them (according to the powers that be).  Glass is infinitely recyclable, either as other glass products or as ground up "sand".

 

If we should be concerned about cruise ships use of straws (which are either incinerated on board, or off loaded as a compacted bundle of trash), I think that you should watch the cruise ship re-provisioning activities when in the home port.  Each pallet of food or other products that comes on board is wrapped in miles and miles of plastic wrap. All of that plastic wrap SHOULD be collected and recycled, however, I have seen lots of it blowing around on the pier and it ultimately ends up in the sea. Fresh produce is delivered in boxes and trays that are made from cardboard, but the cardboard is usually coated with a thin layer of plastic to make them water resistant.

 

Plastic is everywhere and the banning of straws won't have a significant impact one way or the other.  BTW, I don't use any kind of straws.

Quote

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Hypo

[ipeeinthepool]

I've given up the fight.  I'll just bring my own.  I'll have extras for anyone that wants one.

[quack2]

Maybe try consuming your drink like an adult.  Sans straw.

[Charles4515]

50 minutes ago, Hypo said:

 

Plastic is everywhere and the banning of straws won't have a significant impact one way or the other.  BTW, I don't use any kind of straws.

 

 

The plastic straws are getting caught in Sea Turtles nostrils. 

[Charles4515]

27 minutes ago, quack2 said:

Maybe try consuming your drink like an adult.  Sans straw.

 

I don’t use straws but telling people that it is not adult to drink with a straw is not adult....

[rvmike]

In my city they banned plastic bags but if you forgot your cloth bag they will happily sell you a plastic bag for 10 cents. What am I missing? Forgot to add,there are plenty of free plastic bags in the produce section.🙄

[Charles4515]

47 minutes ago, rvmike said:

In my city they banned plastic bags but if you forgot your cloth bag they will happily sell you a plastic bag for 10 cents. What am I missing? Forgot to add,there are plenty of free plastic bags in the produce section.🙄

 

It is to discourage people from using plant bags. It actually works. Lots of people won’t spend the  5 or 10 cents. (5 cents here) 

[Wine-O]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

 

The plastic straws are getting caught in Sea Turtles nostrils. 

 

Just to put this into perspective, there are millions and millions of sea turtles out there, and one turns up with a plastic straw in its nostril so we need to ban plastic straws?  I wouldn't be surprised if it were planted by some extremist, agenda-driven wacko.  😉🍷 

[Charles4515]

5 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

 

Just to put this into perspective, there are millions and millions of sea turtles out there, and one turns up with a plastic straw in its nostril so we need to ban plastic straws?  I wouldn't be surprised if it were planted by some extremist, agenda-driven wacko.  😉🍷 

 

They might say that people who insist on plastic straws are extreme agenda driven wackos. I do think there is hysteria about some of these things and also good intentions, not a wacko agenda. Personally I just go with the flow. I only use straws for malt shakes. Whatever is provided free is fine with me. If they give me plastic or paper I won’t complain or bring my own plastic, paper or reusable straws. 

[dkjretired]

41 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

 

Just to put this into perspective, there are millions and millions of sea turtles out there, and one turns up with a plastic straw in its nostril so we need to ban plastic straws?  I wouldn't be surprised if it were planted by some extremist, agenda-driven wacko.  😉🍷 

 

And then there are metal straws, killed a woman last week.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/europe/metal-straws-death.html

[evandbob]

Whenever technology changes, the first version of the new item is usually the worst.  For software, it's the beta versions or first editions, for manufactured or assembled goods and products it's the first series.

 

Improvement comes as new ideas surface due to the limitations of first generation goods.  Us Americans have always prided ourselves on innovative design that will accommodate the law of supply and demand.  As old tech dies, better replacement items will surface eventually.

 

The paper straw that doesn't work today will be replaced by a material that hopefully works and avoids harmful waste.

[Wine-O]

34 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

And then there are metal straws, killed a woman last week.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/europe/metal-straws-death.html

 

Don, I did read that last week.  My gripe is Celebrity did this for political correctness and accomplished absolutely nothing.  I just spent 2 weeks on Millennium sucking my bloody marys each morning through soggy paper straws, and for what?  🍷

[dkjretired]

3 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

 

Don, I did read that last week.  My gripe is Celebrity did this for political correctness and accomplished absolutely nothing.  I just spent 2 weeks on Millennium sucking my bloody marys each morning through soggy paper straws, and for what?  🍷

 

Expect a lot of PC stuff with the current management, we’re collecting straws to bring on our cruise next month.

[Denny01]

Been using paper straws in our area for an extended time, and was on the Edge in March with their use, and I really don’t remember any of them being a problem and boing soggy. If this is such a big deal, pack your straws. This isn’t ‘PC’ since being such works both directions when you makekeverytning black and white, Right and Left and so on. 

 

Enjoy your cruise no matter what you have to pack away for it. 

 

Den

[ghstudio]

I have to concur with Denny01....I had no problem at all with the paper straws over the last 20 or so days on the Constellation.

 

Instead of complaining about straws, let's complain about something much more important....the tiny cheap olives they use...the really cheap maraschino cherries they use.   

 

If you insist on staying on the ecologically friendly argument, I think replacing the "smooth tissue paper in rolls that they pass off as toilet paper" with something that actually resembles and functions as toilet paper.  Now there's a real issue!!!!! 

[Denny01]

Ghstudio- is it ‘a real issue’ or a ‘real tissue’??? I’m confused!!!

 

Yeah, cruising has become so terrible with those paper straws and dysfunctional toilet paper (well, that could actually be an issue!). Yes - and those tiny olives! I hate crusing now!  By the way, I hope they keep the mini-marschino’s.....I hate those too!! THe smaller the better. 

 

Oh well, time to get ready for the next terrible experience at sea - I’m going to spend most of the cruise looking for spots of rust and worn carpet and demand a refund!!!

 

OK, I got that off my chest, back to the End of Western Civilization because of paper straws. 

 

Den

[Charles4515]

4 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

Expect a lot of PC stuff with the current management, we’re collecting straws to bring on our cruise next month.

 

It is not a current management thing. All the cruise lines are switching to paper straws. 

 

Last month on Summit I didn’t even notice what kind of straws they had. Didn’t even try to find out. So not important. 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Charles4515

[dkjretired]

15 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

It is not a current management thing. All the cruise lines are switching to paper straws. 

 

Last month on Summit I didn’t even notice what kind of straws they had. Didn’t even try to find out. So not important. 

 

Disagree...

[Charles4515]

5 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Disagree...

 

Disagree with what? It has nothing to do with current management. The whole cruise industry is making the switch.  

Edited July 21, 2019 by Charles4515

[dkjretired]

I wasn’t speaking only of straws and I disagree it’s not a current management issue.

Edited July 21, 2019 by dkjretired