About a month ago, the Keg replaced their plastic straws with a plant-based straw in an effort to minimize plastic waste. A restaurant in Banff, Magpie and Stump, is following the #StrawsSuck campaign and serving all drink without straws. Even Starbucks has planned to eliminate all plastic straws from their stores by 2020. Vancouver and Seattle have banned plastic straws all together, and cities like New York and San Francisco are planning to follow.
All across North America, restaurants and households are opting to go strawless, to limit their environmental footprint. For most people, having no straw is nothing more than an inconvenience, and when 8 million metric tons of plastic (predicted to increase tenfold in the next ten years) enters our oceans every year, many people are happy to sacrifice convenience.
However, going strawless is much more than an inconvenience for others. For disabled people, having a straw means independence. The elimination of plastic at any quantity is a win for the environment, but in the case of plastic straws, it comes with a tragic cost. The elderly, those with weakness due to neuromuscular genetic disorders or other disorders, and many other people with disabilities require straws to drink. Specifically, plastic straws are needed for all who can’t lift a drink or bring themselves close enough to the beverage. For many, being able to independently eat and drink is as vital as wheelchair accessibility in buildings. Past the physical health and wellness, independence for disabled people improves mental health and wellness as well, cultivating confidence and fulfillment.
Obviously, straws are important for those with disabilities, but many people wonder why a compostable straw or other alternatives aren’t sufficient. Firstly, compostable paper straws often dissolve and lose strength from usage. As well, metal straws reflect the temperature of the drink, making the outside of the straw extremely hot or cold.
By explaining the need for straws, specifically plastic, bendable straws, the disabled community isn’t being anti-environment, they are protecting their equity. Many would be happy to opt for eco-friendly options if they physically could. It is often described that marginalized groups, including disabled people, are living in a world that wasn’t made for them. Now that plastic straws have given equity and independence, it is harmful and regressive to take that freedom away. There is still a much-needed fight for absolute freedom regarding disabled people.
When the problems with straw bans were explained by the disabled community, many non-disabled people responded with suggestions attempting to solve both issues. Some suggested biodegradable alternatives. However, they don’t provide uniform accessibility. Others suggested that disabled folk bring their own straws. Truthfully, that is not equitable. It is not fair to expect a specific group of consumers to put in extra work and money to feel accommodated, while others can use what is provided to them for free. Twitter user @Imani_Barbarin explained this beautifully…
https://twitter.com/Imani_Barbarin/status/1018605073876901888
The fact is, accessibility is a human rights issue. A complete removal of plastic straws would be utterly destructive to the rights of disabled people. Seattle’s ban on plastic straws did exempt disabled people, and they could receive one on request. However, this is optional, and restaurants aren’t required to fulfill that need. Further, it requires disabled people to provide proof of their necessity, which frankly, is scrutinizing. A ban on plastic straws is not equitable and encourages inhospitality for disabled people. Originally, bendable straws were made for those who could not reach straight straws and for those who did have the mobility to angle themselves to drink out of traditional straws. The inventor, Joseph Friedman who patented the straw in 1937, is credited for his improvement on accessibility. His invention is often used as a case study for “universal design,” a way of thinking that attempts to make products accessible to as many people as possible.
Twitter user @ChronicallyRavn sites a doctor and explains that before this universal design,
[Disabled people] aspirated liquids into their lungs and died of pneumonia.
Further, banning plastic straws comes with a huge sacrifice and little reward. The National Park Service estimates that Americans use 500 million straws a day. Although that may seem like a lot, straws make up a very small percentage of plastic waste in the ocean. In cleanups, plastic bottles and food wrappers make up most of the waste. However, eliminating plastic straws is a much simpler problem to tackle. Straws make up 4% of the plastic waste, and by weight, straws make up 2000 tons of the millions of tons of plastic that effects aquatic ecosystems every year. Although banning plastic straws is an easy step in the right direction, it is many steps backwards for accessibility.
This debate has left many people wondering if there is a way to reduce plastic waste while encouraging accessibility, especially when disabled people rely on many other waste-heavy products like pre-cut fruits and vegetables. From here, restaurants and cafes can work on providing choice, allowing customers to choose between compostable and plastic options, without further alienating a marginalized group. As well, instead of reducing accessibility for consumers, restaurants can focus on the reduction of plastic waste behind the scenes. In cafes, many items are individually packaged, just to be cooked or removed from the packaging by the workers. Also, many restaurants use plastic wrap to preserve food. A large amount of plastic waste could be reduced from restaurants if they could replace plastic wrap with reusable alternatives like metal lids. Aside from environmental initiatives, all restaurants and buildings must improve accessibility. Many customers experience problems entering buildings that lack ramps for wheelchairs or have heavy doors. Once inside, some even struggle to find sufficient seating. Employees must be able to support disabled folk by helping with entrance, the movement of products, and by treating all consumers with respect, to ensure a standard of absolute, unquestioned equity is met. Alice Wong, a disabled person who requires plastic straws and already struggles as a consumer with high counters, heavy doors, and communication, wonderfully explained,
If cafes can offer four types of milk for espresso drinks and restaurants 50 types of wine and beer, small businesses and large corporations can manage offering two types of straws. The key is to have the same level of access for all items. You can accommodate all your customers while reducing waste at the same time. Customers respond to choice and flexibility.
Because in the end, isn’t it all about welcoming everyone into your space with authentic and inclusive hospitality?
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A Note from the Author:
When I saw the poster in the Keg’s common space that announced they would be switching to compostable straws in an effort to increase sustainability, I was really excited. As someone who doesn’t have a disability or experiences problems with physical accessibility, I genuinely saw no issue. Personally, the state of the environment and Canada’s future is one of the most important political issues for me. I’m an environmentalist, but this conversation helped me realize that I don’t support environmental initiatives when they infringe on the human rights of others, which the elimination of plastic straws does. I don’t specifically remember how this issue was brought to my attention, but it has allowed me to gain some perspective on the continuous struggles of disabled people. Among other things, I continue to see buildings that aren’t wheelchair accessible, and the Starbucks near my house has such a heavy door, that sometimes I struggle to open it. I physically can’t imagine how the plethora of minor inconveniences for able-bodied people literally means the difference between independence and helplessness for disabled people. The disabled community already struggles with many other issues, including mistreatment from caregivers and issues with adequate, universal healthcare. Simple accessibility to the right of consumerism shouldn’t be added to the list. Abled-bodied people experience a privilege that often goes unnoticed because drinking and walking into buildings is something that is rarely acknowledged. With my privilege, I hope to further advocate for the rights of marginalized groups; the fight for accessibility shouldn’t be a burden felt only by disabled people. For me and many others, it doesn’t matter if I use a straw or not, but if it is vital for others, ca hoice should become commonplace. Truly, I hope that debates like this and an increased awareness about issues surrounding the disabled community, gives this marginalized group a platform to express issues that they experience everyday, leading to definitive change.