South Africans will just have to suck it up and find alternatives because plastic straws are not about to make a grand comeback — despite being “Trumpeted” in the US as superior to paper straws.
Paper straws are widely used in restaurants and fast-food chains locally because they are biodegradable, but some consumers complain they go soggy and disintegrate.
The government is set on “implementing policies that address prioritised plastic products” in line with protecting the environment in South Africa.
Department of forestry, fisheries & the environment spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa said this week the department was conducting a midterm review of the extended producer responsibility regulations — for paper, packaging and single-use plastic products — that were introduced in 2020.
Mbelengwa said the regulations were accompanied by notices detailing five-year recycling targets for single-use plastics, including “bottles, straws, containers, tubs, cups and cutlery”. He said there were more environmentally friendly non-plastic alternatives for straws such as bamboo, paper, steel and aluminium.
However, plastic straws, though less prominent on shop shelves, remain a cheaper option. This week, a pack of five assorted-colour “metal straws” was advertised online for R69.99 at Mr Price, while a four-pack of “stainless steel” straws with a cleaning brush — marketed as environmentally friendly and long-lasting — cost R34.99 at Checkers.
A set of 20 bamboo straws was available for R199 on Takealot, while the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds advertised a “bent glass straw”, including a bag and cleaner, for R161. A pack of 50 paper straws with stripes costs R59.95 and a multicolour pack of 50 plastic bendable straws sells for R34.99 at Makro.
“The leakage of plastic waste into the environment has been raised as a global concern, and countries are being encouraged to act,” said Mbelengwa. “South Africa has taken a position to find ways to work with various local and international partners to address [this] and has already commenced with a mixed policy tool approach... ”
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order lifting the ban on the use of plastic straws shortly after his inauguration. “We are going back to plastics,” he declared.
“These things [paper straws] don’t work. I have had them many times. On occasion they break, they explode. If something is hot, they don’t last very long, like a matter of minutes. Sometimes it’s a matter of seconds. It’s a ridiculous situation. So, we are going back to plastic straws... I don’t think that plastics will affect a shark very much as they munch their way through ocean.”
Our turtle conservation centre team rescue, rehabilitate and rescue sea turtles, a majority of which have pieces of plastic in their digestive systems, making them very ill. There is the infamous instance where a turtle was found with a plastic straw sticking out of its nostril.
— Heather Wares, Two Oceans Aquarium spokesperson
But the chances of plastic straws returning in South Africa are limited. Retailer Pick n Pay discontinued plastic straws five years ago.
“Pick n Pay has been committed to reducing plastic waste in stores for many years, with a strong focus on eliminating single-use plastics due to their environmental impact,” said a spokesperson.
“In 2018, we phased out plastic straws in all our stores. If a customer requests a straw, we provide a paper alternative — now the norm for enjoying a cooldrink purchased from our kiosks. Since 2020, we have discontinued the sale of plastic straws.
“Our efforts go beyond straws. We introduced Pick n Pay private-label earbuds with paper inners and removed plastic barrier bags from our stores — an initiative that has prevented more than 20-million of these small plastic bags from entering the environment.
“These changes have been well received by our customers, reinforcing our shared commitment to reducing plastic waste.”
Sea turtles are among the creatures threatened by single-use plastic straws discarded on beaches and in the ocean. Two Oceans Aquarium staff in Cape Town receive many calls to save marine life threatened by pollution, including plastic straws. Spokesperson Heather Wares said aquarium staff rescued and released numerous seals, birds and other wildlife in the V&A Waterfront that became entangled in plastic items, including “box bands, fishing line, plastic bags and even a snorkel mask”.
“Unfortunately, there are countless instances of marine wildlife being negatively impacted by plastic pollution in the ocean and on our beaches,” said Wares. “Our turtle conservation centre team rescue, rehabilitate and rescue sea turtles, a majority of which have pieces of plastic in their digestive systems, making them very ill. There is the infamous instance where a turtle was found with a plastic straw sticking out of its nostril.
“Our ‘trash bash’ team see the scale of litter pollution on our beaches at their monthly beach clean-ups, where they gather with the public to remove litter from Cape Town’s beaches.”
Wares said the aquarium launched its “Straws Suck” campaign a few years ago, which “encouraged people to sip with their lips and ditch the plastic straw”.
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