News Disney removing plastic straws and more by mid-2019

[DisAl]

They already use paper straws at Animal Kingdom and you don’t get kids there if you order a drink. It will just become the same at the other parks.

It’s also a great way for them to cut costs and sell it as being green. Let’s not forget about the million plastic ziploc bags they are handing out now for Kidcot.

It doesn't cut cost. Paper straws actually cost more than plastic.
IMHO, getting rid of plastic straws is just one more of those things that companies do for publicity. The percentage of plastic straws is miniscule compared to the total plastic waste. Even the cup lids have much more plastic in them than the straw. Next thing you know somebody will want do to away with lids too.
Before some of you start flaming me for not caring about the environment, yes I do, and I think we need to take much better care of our environment, but some of what is being pushed on us is ridiculous.

 

[powerfulpuffin]

America is responsible for 1% of the total plastic pollution in the world and of all the pollution .02% is plastic straws. There are far more effective things to do for the environment then banning plastic straws.

It's a relatively-easy step that helps create the perception that Disney cares about the environment and is being responsive to changing norms.

 

[Nemo14]

For about 10 minutes...

Got a little chuckle reading your post, considering the carbon footprint/environmental impact of the whole WDW complex...

Oh I agree, and the same could be said for so many places now. This whole plastic straw thing has just kind of got to me though. I've been spending the last couple of weeks in a town that's really pushing it. If you dine in a restaurant here, you have to request a straw, yet you can have a styrofoam take-out container. Makes me chuckle too...and cry a little.

 

[dig311dug]

IMHO, getting rid of plastic straws is just one more of those politically correct things that companies do for publicity. The percentage of plastic straws is miniscule compared to the total plastic waste.

I'm sure this is just the start of things to come.

and it's about time.

 

[dreamfinder]

How so? Paper straws cost more to produce than plastic (hence why the whole world hasn't adopted them). I guess it depends on their disposal costs.

Partial quantity of scale. More demand, more supply. More supply, price goes down as more vendors enter the market and ramp up production levels. I've read several stories recently about new factories coming online to meet demand as it has been a relatively niche market so far.

But it's not necessarily about the switch in straw materials, it may be about the delivery method for the drinks. As @Master Yoda indicated, Starbucks is launching a new "sippy" lid instead of using straws everytime. If the new lids cost less than lid + straw (paper or plastic) it's a cost savings. Or by getting people to buy a new Mickey branded multi-use plastic/silicone straw, means more sales profits for the mouse. Or shifting to the bag method favored by some grocery chains, you bring your own or decline no extra cost, but if you need one, its a charge.

... yet you can have a styrofoam take-out container. Makes me chuckle too...and cry a little.

The article mentions eliminating the polystyrene cups at WDW as well.

 

[ABQ]

Doesn't Boma already utilize paper straws?

Like the Animal Kingdom park, the lodge(s) also utilize paper, likely due to the proximity of animals in the savannah surrounding the resort.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Good move...anything to inconvenience those that whine/can’t get over their first world problems

But seriously...they handle the no straw problem around DAK just fine.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Next thing you know somebody will want do to away with lids too.

Again, see Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

Honestly, we've s**t on the environment long enough. There are garbage islands the size of Texas in the oceans. There's even a plastic bag in the Mariana Trench - at the bottom!

I'm good with this initiative by Disney. It's a start, sure - but I think the figures alone say a lot; "...175 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually."

 

[wdwmagic]

Doesn't Boma already utilize paper straws?

yes

 

[Cetta]

As a person who bites my straw...paper straws just don't work for me because they get all soggy. Maybe they should focus on bigger items and not the smallest item of plastic. This also makes me feel like one day we are going to all be stuck using "reusable toilet paper" lol

 

[larryz]

Honestly, we've s**t on the environment long enough. There are garbage islands the size of Texas in the oceans. There's even a plastic bag in the Mariana Trench - at the bottom!

I'm good with this initiative by Disney. It's a start, sure - but I think the figures alone say a lot; "...175 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually."

When someone develops an economic incentive for cleaning that plastic out of the ocean, it will happen. Maybe that would be a good use for the money the USA otherwise wastes on studying why birds fly south for the winter and such...

As a person who bites my straw...paper straws just don't work for me because they get all soggy. Maybe they should focus on bigger items and not the smallest item of plastic. This also makes me feel like one day we are going to all be stuck using "reusable toilet paper" lol

Toilet paper, unlike plastic straws, readily disintegrates (some brands more readily than others, I might add, but that may be TMI) and I applaud Disney for being an overall environmentally aware company.

Notice I didn't say "environmentally friendly."

 

[rnese]

Honestly, we've s**t on the environment long enough. There are garbage islands the size of Texas in the oceans. There's even a plastic bag in the Mariana Trench - at the bottom!

I'm good with this initiative by Disney. It's a start, sure - but I think the figures alone say a lot; "...175 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually."

This was based on the research...of a fourth grader.

 

[ABQ]

I'm sure it won't be long till Disney brand a bunch of these with their own IP's all over them for 29.99 each at every gift shop.
https://tinyurl.com/ydgl9f72

 

[wsmith1978]

I do understand the whole plastic straw controversy, and I applaud the efforts to clean up the environment, but I think there are far more significant changes that could be made to improve the environment for future generations. Balloons, plastic beverage bottles(and their caps), and disposable shopping bags have a much larger impact on our environment and could just as easily be eliminated. An alarming trend I've noticed lately is parents feeding their young children "organic" foods from "disposable" packets, that, once discarded, will probably survive on this earth longer than those children's children will.
So eliminating plastic straws is a great idea, but so much more needs to be done to preserve this planet.

Agree 100%. But, it's a start. I applaud it and it needs to be implemented far and wide.

 

[jaysmom4285]

. America is responsible for 1% of the total plastic pollution in the world and of all the pollution .02% is plastic straws. There are far more effective things to do for the environment then banning plastic straws.

Just because you can't do everything doesn't mean you shouldn't do something.

 

[Rumrunner]

America is responsible for 1% of the total plastic pollution in the world and of all the pollution .02% is plastic straws. There are far more effective things to do for the environment then banning plastic straws.

In California now giving out plastic straws could mean a $1000 fine and 6 months in jail. It is a more severe punishment than the intentionally spreading of HIV/aids. World is going nuts. The plastic problem is Asia.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Well, there's also our final answer to the soap/shampoo dispensers in the shower area debacle as well..

But, what the heck are they going to be doing on shopping bags? I know I had seen the Reusable totes being sold in the stores for a small price but, isn't that also going to conflict guests if you saayyy you didn't carry a backpack and didn't want to pay for a tote you have to carry your shirt while enjoying the rest of your day in the parks? How does this effect Disney owned stores in Disney Springs when you get the big shoppers there at World of Disney?

 

[phillip9698]

America is responsible for 1% of the total plastic pollution in the world and of all the pollution .02% is plastic straws. There are far more effective things to do for the environment then banning plastic straws.

Every hit helps, I see no problem with starting here.

 

[DisneyLover]

Well, there's also our final answer to the soap/shampoo dispensers in the shower area debacle as well..

But, what the heck are they going to be doing on shopping bags? I know I had seen the Reusable totes being sold in the stores for a small price but, isn't that also going to conflict guests if you saayyy you didn't carry a backpack and didn't want to pay for a tote you have to carry your shirt while enjoying the rest of your day in the parks? How does this effect Disney owned stores in Disney Springs when you get the big shoppers there at World of Disney?

There will probably be paper bags. Like the paper grocery bags? It’s still not going to work nearly as well, but...anything to save the environment....right?