Ban Plastic Straws Now!

Over 500 million plastic straws are used per day (enough to circumnavigate the planet twice) but because they are small and light weight, almost none ever make it to recycling bins. But what is not very well known is that an object so small, so ingrained in the culture of America, and so widely used, can be so deadly. In truth, even if the extra steps are taken towards recycling plastic straws, they are still technically not "recyclable". Made out of polypropylene, a byproduct of petroleum, which takes a considerable amount of time to extract and create. As the straws move down the recycling conveyor belt, it and other small objects fall through the small holes and are filtered back to the landfill where they will remain for the rest of its enormous lifespan. We want to move toward banning single use straws in Marin County and eventually throughout the state.