People are becoming aware of how dangerous straws are. According to an article “Plastic straws are little, but they are part of a huge problem” by the Washington Post, most plastics do not decompose or biodegrade, when users toss them. Plastics can stay in landfills for hundreds to thousands of years. Plastic in the ocean floats around and turn into small pieces called microplastics, that poison animals and hurt the environment. Due to the fact that plastic takes so long to decompose, it just sits around contaminating our environment.
Unfortunately, animals get the worst consequences when plastic is not disposed of properly. Not only is their habitat ruined, but their lives are in danger as well. According the article “For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield” by National Geographic, a concerning number animals who live in or near oceans such as fish, sea turtles, and large seabirds are eating more plastic in proportion to their body mass. Research has shown that in one large population, 90 percent of baby birds ingested toxic plastic, thus reducing their life expectancy. Plastic is so dangerous to animals because it not only releases harmful toxins, but also because ingesting a sharp plastic shard could result in the piercing of an intestine which could kill an animal almost instantly. According to expert Maizura Ismail, a Mylasian and environmental specialist, it is estimated that over 1 million marine animals are killed each year by plastic waste. According to the Dunkin Donuts website, the company sells about 60 cups of coffee per second. This means 5 million wasteful cups, and possibly straws as well are being used everyday. In a whole year the company has produced around two billion cups. Imagine how much this company has contributed to the over 300 million tons of plastic that is produced each year, and continues to kill these animals?
If the amount of damage plastic can have on animals is not enough reason for Dunkin’ Donuts to make changes, plastic to also harmful to humans. According to an article “Plastic and how it affects our oceans” by ABC news, the United States has the highest contamination rate, at ninety four percent of plastic fibres found in tap water sampled at sites including Congressional buildings, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters, and the Trump Tower in New York. It is also being found in Places one would never expect to find plastic, like the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, and in Antarctica. Third world countries such as Lebanon and India had the next highest rates. Looking at the big picture, Dunkin’ Donuts could potentially be poisoning their loyal customers, whom they value so much.
Providing reusable cups that customers can bring to Dunkin’ Donuts will reduce the number of plastic cups and straws being used and sitting in landfills. By creating different designs on the cups that incorporate the Dunkin’ Donuts logo, more people could become interested and aware of the efforts the company is making to improve the environment. Dunkin’ Donuts can also encourage customers to bring their own reusable straws. Many people have started to take action and use more eco-friendly options, such as metal straws, or Dunkin' could sell metal straws. Not only are reusable products a great solution, but paper straws also are an eco friendly option. According to Sarah Gibbens, author of “A Brief History of How Plastic Straws Took Over the World”, she explains that by replacing plastic straws with paper, the effects on the environment will decrease tremendously. Paper straws are biodegradable. Plastic straws sit in the landfill and the ocean for an estimated two hundred years while paper straws decompose within two to six weeks. Gibbens states that paper straws will only cost a penny more than plastic straws, and they will provide a more eco-friendly solution.
While it is understood why a large cooperation such as Dunkin' may be opposed to changing from plastic to paper straws, and while the cost of paper straws is more than plastic, investing in the paper straws will create more public appeal and better the reputation of Dunkin’ Donuts. Once people notice your efforts to improve the environment, Dunkin’ Donuts might seem more appealing than their competitors.
So why should you care so deeply about this problem, and take efforts to help it?
Not only does it affect humans, it affects animals, and our overall environment, our home.
If we humans don’t take care of this problem soon, there will be irreversible damage. It starts with large corporations such as Dunkin’ Donuts to take steps to eliminate the amount of plastic that we are using, which starts with unnecessary straws.
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