Is it normal to clean out used plastic straws and reuse them?

My parents seem to do this a lot and I've seen others clean out and keep plastic spoons or forks,soooooo?

Voting Results
43% Normal
Based on 42 votes (18 yes)
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Comments ( 12 )
  • charli.m

    Just buy a reusable straw? They're not that expensive.

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    • RoseIsabella

      I have one of those!

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      • charli.m

        Plastic, steel, silicone, bamboo or glass?

        I have a few glass ones. I love them.

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        • Averageasfuck

          For reusable straws I have to say that stainless steel is the best

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        • RoseIsabella

          I have a white striped plastic one. I have been curious to try a glass one. In my mind's eye I always picture myself dropping and breaking it by accident though.

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          • charli.m

            They're sturdy. I got mine from one if my favourite eco stores in Australia, but I'm buying more on Amazon soon as I'm in the US. Found a set of 4 smoothie straws plus cleaning brush for $5.99.

            I got a special carry case for mine so I can keep it in my handbag, but I reckon a toothbrush travel case would do the job for cheaper.

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            • LornaMae

              I just got a bamboo one but I seem to be spitting everywhere with it... :(

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  • Boojum

    Why not? As long as they're clean and usable, it makes sense to me.

    Think about this: virtually every single piece of plastic you've ever used, touched or seen during your entire lifetime still exists in some form. The only things that don't exist as some sort of plastic object after recycling must have been burned, possibly releasing toxic chemicals into the atmosphere as it did.

    Plastic is undeniably very useful stuff, but we're addicted to it as a culture. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us prefer to believe that once we get rid of rubbish in an officially sanctioned way, it just disappears. But of course it doesn't.

    The problem of plastic waste is huge and constantly increasing. To take one relatively trivial example: In the UK, McDonald's alone used nearly 2 million drinking straws every day last year. Virtually every one of those straws is now in a landfill somewhere, and they will remain there unchanged for hundreds of years, while the straws that aren't in an official rubbish disposal site will clutter up the world somewhere else for a very long time.

    Your parents aren't going to change the world single-handed with their personal recycling efforts, but at least they aren't adding to the problem.

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  • Alichael

    A lot of people, myself included have washed and reused plastic cutlery. Little plastic straws, I'm not so sure of, they're hard to wash properly without cracking or bending them out of shape, so I personally would throw away a plastic straw and then get a new one. They're not in short supply and you can usually pick up one at a convenience store where the fountain drinks are free of charge, the proprietor there won't care unless he's a prick. A whole box of straws at the store of course are not for free.

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  • Yobrepaid

    There's been recent talk of eliminating the use of plastic straws across the board (at least here in the U.S.) and using paper (biodegradable) straws instead. Cleaning out plastic straws and re-using them may soon be your only choice aside from using paper straws.

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  • Ellenna

    Anything that reduces the amount of plastic going into landfill is a good thing, it's just a pity more people don't do what your parents do.

    As well as polluting the land, discarded plastic is cluttering up the oceans and killing marine life.

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  • cinderfloof

    It's not normal in the sense that most people I know don't do that, but there's nothing wrong with it. I think it'd be great for the environment!

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