Plastic straws, presumably everyone is no stranger. Because it is easy to use, it is very common in all kinds of restaurants and coffee shops. However, recently, many restrictions around the world have taken aim at plastic straws. Why specifically target plastic straws? What kind of pollution and harm are these tiny, convenient-looking plastic straws doing to the planet?

This photo may be familiar to everyone. The photo was taken in 2015, when the turtle was spotted off the coast of Costa Rica, and it was clear that its nose was blocked by something. After surgery, a 12cm plastic straw was removed from its nose.

In fact, the small plastic straws are difficult to be picked up by garbage disposal and then recycled, so the final fate of most plastic straws is to end up in landfills or floating on the ocean. When plastic straws enter the water, they are often eaten by sea turtles, seabirds, fish and other animals, resulting in the kind of tragedy we saw earlier. The plastic straws that continue to float on the surface of the sea will gradually break, forming a large number of microplastic particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter. These toxic and harmful microplastic particles can also accumulate through the food chain and eventually enter the human body, posing a threat to human health.

Marine conservation expert George Leonard georgeleonard : 2017 Coastal cleanliness data shows that 643,000 plastic straws have been picked up from coasts and waters around the world.

After realizing the huge environmental problems that plastic straws may cause, many governments and enterprises around the world have launched a "plastic limit" craze this year. Some coffee shops and fast food restaurants have said they plan to stop serving plastic straws. In May this year, the European Union also proposed banning single-use plastic products such as plastic straws and replacing them with straws made of more environmentally friendly and sustainable materials.

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