We could play this game with almost every product... I am sure there are many things that you use and like to use that I never use, but it isn't fair for me to just say, "Well it isn't important to me so that means it isn't important to anyone". Almost every product we produce, people could 'manage just fine' without... we can always just point to a time before the thing was invented and say, "Look, people managed just fine without computers... they aren't a necessity, let's not waste resources making them" Unless a product has outsized environmental costs relative to other luxury items, I don't think we should get in the habit of having governments pick and choose which items are 'necessity' or 'luxury'.
If we are concerned about plastic waste, let's put a general tax on plastics to reduce their consumption across the board and let the market decide how to do that reduction, instead of picking and choosing which plastic products to ban.
While I don't think people need to justify using straws, I will go ahead and say straws are very important to me. I like cold drinks with ice in them, but I have cold sensitive teeth that hurt when I drink from a cup with ice and no straw. It is way easier to drink in a car with a cup, lid, and straw.
I simply prefer using a straw. Do you want to go through a similar exercise where you justify every single one of your consumption practices?
When they banned plastic straws in the EU, all of the sudden two reusable replacement products appeared on the market: Glass straws and stainless steel straws.
They are such an upgrade to plastic straws that I don't understand why we haven't been using them all along.
I've switched entirely to glass straws, they are a huge upgrade from plastic. No sharp edges like plastic, won't collapse if you want to suck up something firm like a milkshake, takes up less storage since I only need to keep a handful around to cover various sizes. And they look much, much better to boot. Can't say I've had any issues with them clanking on my teeth, but I use straws for sipping, not chewing on.
I don't like the taste of metal straws, so I bought glass ones. They are awesome, but like all glass things, they are incredibly hard and incredibly brittle. If you drop it, it might shatter, it might be fine. I own four, use them regularly, including occasional travel, and have only dropped one.
If that sounds like too much work for you, there are reusable plastic straws available.
Nice try big government, but a tax will only increase prices for end consumers and will disportionately affected poor people while actually doing jack shit to reduce consumption.
Competition will do the work—if my business deals with the tax by raising prices for consumers, your business can instead invest into R&D to figure out how to keep prices steady. Your business wins, and the consumer wins.
If we are concerned about plastic waste, let's put a general tax on plastics to reduce their consumption across the board and let the market decide how to do that reduction, instead of picking and choosing which plastic products to ban.
While I don't think people need to justify using straws, I will go ahead and say straws are very important to me. I like cold drinks with ice in them, but I have cold sensitive teeth that hurt when I drink from a cup with ice and no straw. It is way easier to drink in a car with a cup, lid, and straw.
I simply prefer using a straw. Do you want to go through a similar exercise where you justify every single one of your consumption practices?