The last straw: Is time up for this plastic relic?

By Jacopo Prisco, CNN

Updated 0017 GMT (0817 HKT) January 15, 2018

Disposable plastic straws are not recyclable, therefore they often end up in landfills, oceans, or the environment. Americans throw away half a billion of them every day, according to the National Park Service.
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The last straw – Disposable plastic straws are not recyclable, therefore they often end up in landfills, oceans, or the environment. Americans throw away half a billion of them every day, according to the National Park Service.
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The city of Seattle will be one of the first to impose a ban on plastic straws and utensils starting in June 2018. In the UK, pub chain Wetherspoons has stopped serving plastic straws across 900 outlets, switching to a biodegradable alternative.
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Strawless in Seattle – The city of Seattle will be one of the first to impose a ban on plastic straws and utensils starting in June 2018. In the UK, pub chain Wetherspoons has stopped serving plastic straws across 900 outlets, switching to a biodegradable alternative.
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Plastic pollution has rapidly accelerated, with eight million tons entering the marine environment each year, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/02/here-s-how-much-plastic-enters-ocean-each-year" target="_blank">according to scientists.</a> This figure is set to rise as production of the material is set to double over the next 20 years.
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Drowning in plastic – Plastic pollution has rapidly accelerated, with eight million tons entering the marine environment each year, according to scientists. This figure is set to rise as production of the material is set to double over the next 20 years.
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Some researchers estimate there will be <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics" target="_blank">more plastic than fish</a> in our oceans by the year 2050.
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More than fish – Some researchers estimate there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans by the year 2050.
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Endangered species such as sea turtles could be driven to extinction by the plastic plague.
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End of the line – Endangered species such as sea turtles could be driven to extinction by the plastic plague.
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In many of the worst affected countries such as <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768" target="_blank">China and the Philippines</a>, local people lack the infrastructure to properly dispose of plastic waste. In some cases they burn it, releasing dangerous gases associated with cancer.
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Burning problem – In many of the worst affected countries such as China and the Philippines, local people lack the infrastructure to properly dispose of plastic waste. In some cases they burn it, releasing dangerous gases associated with cancer.
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There are also concerns that people are consuming dangerous plastic through contaminated fish. A recent survey, <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep14340" target="_blank">published in Scientific Reports journal</a>, revealed that a quarter of market fish in Indonesia and California contain plastic.
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Plastic people – There are also concerns that people are consuming dangerous plastic through contaminated fish. A recent survey, published in Scientific Reports journal, revealed that a quarter of market fish in Indonesia and California contain plastic.
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British producer Jo Ruxton and her team have spent four years documenting the effects of plastic pollution for the upcoming documentary "A Plastic Ocean." She hopes the film will challenge people and societies to stop thinking of the material as disposable.
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A plastic ocean – British producer Jo Ruxton and her team have spent four years documenting the effects of plastic pollution for the upcoming documentary "A Plastic Ocean." She hopes the film will challenge people and societies to stop thinking of the material as disposable.
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The crew visited dozens of sites from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and Hawaii, without ever finding a plastic-free location. The average square kilometer of ocean contains around 20,000 microplastic pieces.
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No safe haven – The crew visited dozens of sites from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and Hawaii, without ever finding a plastic-free location. The average square kilometer of ocean contains around 20,000 microplastic pieces.
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The film documents the effects of plastic on marine life. More than one million seabirds are <a href="http://oceancrusaders.org/plastic-crusades/plastic-statistics/" target="_blank">estimated to be killed every year through entanglement and ingestion</a>, often mistaking plastic for food.
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Junk food – The film documents the effects of plastic on marine life. More than one million seabirds are estimated to be killed every year through entanglement and ingestion, often mistaking plastic for food.
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