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Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame
Ocean garbage cleanup and straw bans are a false equivalency. One refers to picking up plastics after they're used, the other refers to preventing plastic from even being used in the first place.
This isn't rocket science.
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And yet the goal (less plastic waste) is the same regardless of your inability to understand it.
So one would think that if we make policy decisions, which are as you said 'not rocket science', the result should be clear, amirite?
Quote:
Despite the concerted efforts by corporations, the plastic straws ban has only made a minor difference in plastic waste production. National Geographic reveals that where 8 million tonnes of plastics flow into the ocean every year, plastic straws merely comprise 0.025% of the total. The finding indicates that banning plastic straws could not make a significant improvement to the environment.
Taking Hong Kong as an example. Research conducted by the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation reveals that Hong Kong’s overall plastic straw consumption has dropped from 1.7 billion to 1 billion from 2017 to 2020, indicating a 40% drop in its annual plastic straw consumption. However, its overall waste plastics have increased by 10.3% from 2017 to 2018, signifying that the plastic straws reduction does not impose a huge impact on the overall amount of waste plastics.
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https://earth.org/data_visualization...aw-phenomenon/
I guess if your policy is about sending signals that 'we are doing something, look at us!', and not actually about actual outcomes, banning plastic straws is the route you take.
One would think its not rocket science to understand what needs to be done, but apparently it is.