Efforts are being made to rid Iowa restaurants of plastic straws in order to decrease the amount of plastic trash ending up in the ocean.

According to the Des Moines Register, many Des Moines restaurants support the move to only have straws available upon request, if at all, and the movement is spreading across Iowa. Nationwide, McDonald's recently announced that they are considering testing alternatives to plastic straws at some locations.

Many QCA businesses have already limited plastic straw use. I recently was offered a "sippy" style lid instead of a straw at Starbucks, signaling an increasing turn against plastic straw usage.

According to the Be Straw Free Campaign, 500 million disposable straws are used in the US every day. Plastic straws can take up to 100 years to decompose and often times end up in the ocean, where they can harm wildlife.

I, personally, would be fine with QC businesses eliminating straws. Obviously, there would be an adjustment period and restaurants would have to offer an alternative. Additionally, some people have medical problems that require the use of a straw. Luckily, metal, glass, and paper straws are affordable and much better for the environment.

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