When it was first invented, plastic was hailed as a wonderful invention. It is now used in hundreds of thousands of popular products. While plastic is a convenient material, it has become one of the largest environmental problems the Earth has ever faced. Plastic was first invented in the late 1800s. It wasn't until after WWII, however, that the material was manufactured for mass consumption. One reason for this was the sheer number of factories that had been built to support the war effort. When the war was over, the factories moved from manufacturing military-related products to products for consumers, like cars, washing machines, and radios—all of which required plastic parts. Plastic was inexpensive to make and use, and this led to a rapid increase in its use. Due to its versatility and durability, many good-quality products could be made from plastic. The plastic industry boomed, and more and more products were made.

We use more than 20 times the amount of plastic we did 50 years ago. This is part of the reason plastic has become such a problem: there is a lot of it. Many plastic products are often single-use products, such as water bottles, plastic bags, straws, and food containers. These items are typically used once and then thrown away. This is the second part of the plastic problem: plastic is not biodegradable. No animal or organism can break down plastic. It will degrade over time, but this process takes over 400 years.

While plastics can be recycled, less than 10 percent of all plastic products used in the United States are recycled. This is because we use many types of plastics that each have different chemical compositions. Mixing plastics can cause contamination, therefore making them unsafe to use again. Plastic waste can also be contaminated by other materials such as paper and ink. Separating plastics from other materials and different types of plastic from one another is no easy task. This means that very little of the plastic we use is recycled.

Over 90 percent of plastic that is not recycled ends up in landfills, where it will sit for hundreds of years. Landfills across the United States are overflowing with plastic. Plastic waste also makes its way into our oceans, mostly as litter. As a result, there is believed to be over 150 million tons of plastic floating in the ocean. This is roughly 1/5 of the weight of all the fish in the ocean!

Efforts have been made to ban plastic products that are not necessary. An example of this would be plastic grocery bags. Americans throw away over 380 million each year. Worldwide, the number is estimated to be upward of 1 trillion! Some states have placed a tax on using these bags. However, some have even lobbied for a complete ban. The country of Ireland has seen a steep decrease in the number of plastic bags used nationwide. As a result of a tax of 37 cents per bag, plastic bag consumption dropped by 90 percent in 10 years. However, with so many plastic products sitting in landfills and clogging our oceans, much more needs to be done.
Both are dishwasher-safe and highly reusable. Unlike metal, however, glass can break easily, which is something that needs to be taken into account. Nevertheless, glass straws often feature unique designs that can be seen as works of art, which is a plus for some consumers.

There are many alternatives to plastic straws currently on the market. While each one has its benefits and drawbacks, any of them would be a better choice than harmful plastic. On the other hand, going straw-less would be even better!

Select a detail from "Make a Change: Alternatives to Plastic Straws" that shows the overall text structure is different from "The Problem with Plastic."

Alternatives are available, but which one is best?
Plastic is ruining the environment.
The rest of the population does not need straws.
This makes both of these alternatives non-reusable.