PML scientists comment on reverse-ban of plastic straws in the US
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) is a charity, undertaking pioneering marine research for the benefit of us all
"It is a big step back in the battle against plastic pollution”. PML’s Dr Samantha Garrard ‘s comments have featured on the story, ‘Why is Donald Trump bringing back plastic straws?’ on Yahoo News UK.
Dr Garrard, Marine Ecosystem Services researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, said:
“While straws are only a small part of the jigsaw, banning plastic straws was a step in the right direction. As part of the discussions of the global plastics treaty, there is strong support for phasing out unnecessary plastics. In the coming years it is expected to progress to phasing out different products or making them reusable, but the return of the straw is a big step back.”
“It is not just about the impact of straws, it is a change in direction in the fight against plastic pollution.”
“Much mismanaged single-use plastic ends up in the ocean, where it can remain for tens to hundreds of years… ingestion can cause death or trauma to marine wildlife”.
Emily Stevenson , PhD researcher with PML and the University of Exeter / Exeter Marine , who is researching microplastics as vectors for antimicrobial resistance in aquatic systems, also shared her disappointment in the news of the reverse-ban:
‘The optimist in me can see that we have passed the saturation point of plastic pollution awareness and its impacts; we cannot go back to blissful ignorance. People may think ‘oh, it’s just straws, what difference can it make?’, but those of us who have been monitoring plastics in the environment for decades know exactly the difference something like this can make. Since the UK stopped using plastic straws, we rarely find them on our Beach Guardian beach cleans.’
[Beach Guardian is a non-profit ‘Community Interest Company’ (CIC) that Emily founded alongside her dad, the CIC aims to tackle plastic waste by empowering communities].
‘Of course, this is much bigger than ‘just straws’. It’s about all of us reducing reliance on unnecessary plastic items. Whilst political changes have the potential to set us back, there are still hundreds of thousands of people out there making real change to protect our wildlife and the environment’.