A recent study from South Korea suggests that paper straws might be more damaging to the environment than their plastic counterparts when considered across their entire life cycle, from production to disposal. The research highlights that paper straws have over six times the carcinogenic effect of conventional plastic straws. Last year, President Donald Trump halted the Biden Administration’s efforts to promote paper straws.
These study results challenge a long-standing environmental debate that lasted a decade, comparing the pollution from plastic straws and exploring alternatives like paper straws, which can collapse in beverages.
Investigators from South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment assessed four straw types—standard plastic, paper, biodegradable plastic, and bio-based polyethylene—analyzing their life cycles in 16 different environmental contexts.
According to their findings, traditional plastic straws demonstrated the least environmental impact in 10 out of the 16 categories, which included climate change, human toxicity, particulate emissions, and environmental acidification.
On the other hand, paper straws were found to have 6.33 times the carcinogenic impact compared to regular plastic straws and contributed twice as much toward environmental acidification, as noted in the research.
Biodegradable plastic straws showed a carcinogenic impact that was 3.34 times greater and nearly twice the acidification impact of typical plastic straws.
For bio-based polyethylene straws made from renewable sources like sugarcane, the study revealed they produced 16 times the carcinogenic effects of traditional plastic straws and caused six times the acidification damage, influencing pH levels in oceans and soils.
While many assume that paper straws are better due to their recyclability, the study counters this notion, explaining that their small size often allows them to bypass sorting machines at recycling facilities, leading to almost none being properly recycled.
Additionally, those paper straws are challenging to decompose because of their water-resistant coatings and industrial adhesives, which means they consume more energy to process. This also raises the risk of microplastics contaminating the recycled content.
“The government must recognize the shortcomings of its greenwashing initiatives that focused on ineffective substitute materials,” commented South Korean lawmaker Kim Wi-sang, as reported by the New York Post.
As noted by Breitbart News, in 2019, President Trump expressed skepticism about the bans on plastic straws in politically liberal cities, stating, “I do think we have bigger problems than plastic straws.”
Last year, he issued an executive order rescinding the Biden administration’s promotion of paper straws and instructed the federal government to revert back to using plastic straws.
