8家公司棄用塑料吸管，用什么取而代之？

星巴克上周宣布，計劃在2020年之前全部門店停用塑料吸管，稱之為“用超前意識應對塑料垃圾危機”。除了咖啡巨頭星巴克外，至少還有七家公司計劃棄用塑料吸管，減少廢品、拯救海龜。

截至2016年，海洋中至少有1億5千萬噸塑料。星巴克估計，啟動當前計劃后，每年全美28000個門店將少用超過10億根塑料吸管。

這些公司準備用什么取代塑料吸管呢？

1. 星巴克

星巴克宣布要減少塑料吸管產生的垃圾時，表示該公司將使用可循環塑料杯蓋替代現有冷飲吸管。如果客人喝星冰樂時要求提供吸管，則使用紙制或可堆肥塑料制成的吸管代替。

2. 凱悅

凱悅酒店集團在一次發布會上宣布，9月1日起塑料吸管僅根據客人要求提供。凱悅還表示，將提供“環保方案”替換其它產品，但并未給出明確說明。

3. 希爾頓酒店

根據希爾頓酒店的計劃，集團旗下650家酒店將于2018年停用塑料吸管，以實現在2030年前將環境足跡降低一半的目標。希爾頓稱可應顧客要求提供吸管，但為紙吸管或可生物降解吸管。

4. 英國萬豪

據BBC報道，2018年2月，萬豪國際稱其60多家英國酒店將棄用塑料吸管。萬豪稱將提供替代產品，比如在顧客要求下提供可生物降解吸管或紙吸管等。

5. 美國航空

美國航空和星巴克、凱悅一樣，宣布將于11月前全面停用塑料吸管。公司航班上將使用可生物降解的產品替代塑料吸管。

6. 阿拉斯加航空

據美聯社報道，阿拉斯加航空5月宣布在今年夏天啟用“有利于保護海洋的可持續產品”替代塑料吸管。

7. 海洋世界娛樂公司

海洋世界娛樂公司宣布，作為其“保護全球動物及棲息地計劃的一部分”，該公司的全部12家主題公園中將停止使用一次性塑料吸管和塑料袋。公司通告中未提出要使用其它可持續材料取而代之。

8. 皇家加勒比

今年早些時候，皇家加勒比表示旗下全部50艘游輪將于2019年之前停用塑料吸管，如果顧客提出要求，可提供紙吸管。

塑料吸管禁令

除了一些公司計劃停用塑料吸管，許多城市還推出塑料吸管禁令，稱將對不遵守規定的機構處以罰款。邁阿密海灘、西雅圖、奧克蘭、伯克利等城市均推出了類似政策。

雖然一些環保組織對停用塑料吸管清理海洋的舉措拍手叫好，但殘障人士權利保護組織卻認為，全面禁用塑料吸管會對殘障人士產生不利影響。

芝加哥殘障人士權利保護組織Access Living告訴《財富》雜志，禁止使用塑料吸管令人擔憂?！皩τ谠S多殘障人士而言，使用塑料吸管是喝水的唯一方式。有人提議用金屬、玻璃、竹子或紙做成的吸管，但這些材料至少會給部分殘障人群造成困難?！?

該組織解釋說，使用金屬等替代材料制成的吸管“嘴會吃痛或受傷。紙吸管容易溶解。許多殘障人士因為身體原因，或因為要使用特殊的方式小口喝水，必須要用塑料吸管，因為塑料足夠靈活?！保ㄘ敻恢形木W）

譯者：Agatha?

Starbucks announced its plans last week to eliminate all plastic straws from its stores by 2020, which the company described as “forward thinking in tackling the material waste challenge.” The coffee company is joined by at least seven other companies in ditching plastic straws to cut back waste and save the turtles.

As of 2016, the ocean was filled with at least 150 million tons of plastic. Starbucks estimates that its plans will eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws each year from its more than 28,000 stores around the country.

So what will companies replace their plastic straws with?

1. Starbucks

Along with its announcement to eliminate waste from plastic straws, Starbucks said it will replace the straws with recyclable plastic lids for all cold beverages. Straws made from other materials, like paper and compostable plastic, are also available for use with Frappuccinos upon request.

2. Hyatt

The hotel corporation announced in a press release that starting September 1, plastic straws would only be available by request. Hyatt added that “eco-friendly alternatives” would be made available for other products, but did not specify what the alternatives are.

3. Hilton Hotels

Hoping to cut its environmental footprint in half by 2030, Hilton Hotels outlined its plans to remove plastic straws from 650 properties in 2018. The company said it would replace the plastic straws with a paper or biodegradable option, by request.

4. Marriott International UK

In February 2018, Marriott International said it would remove plastic straws from more than 60 of its UK hotels, according to the BBC. The company said it would provide alternative options, like biodegradable or paper straws to customers who request them.

5. American Airlines

American Airlines joined Starbucks and Hyatt, announced its plans to ditch plastic straws by November of this year. The company will replace plastic straws onboard planes with biodegradable alternatives.

6. Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines also announced in May that it would start to replace plastic straws this summer with “sustainable, marine-friendly alternatives,” according to the Associated Press.

7. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.

SeaWorld Entertainment announced as “part of its mission to protect animals and habitats worldwide,” that it would eliminate single-use plastic straws and bags from all 12 of its theme parks. The company did not include in its announcement any plans to replace the products with other sustainable materials.

8. Royal Caribbean

Earlier this year, the company said it would eliminate plastic straws from all 50 ships by 2019. Royal Caribbean also said it will offer paper straws to customers by request.

Plastic Straw Bans

In addition to the companies announcing plans to eliminate plastic straws, a number of cities have also said they would ban them and fine facilities that don’t comply. Cities with plastic straw policies include Miami Beach, Seattle, Oakland, and Berkeley.

While some environmental groups have applauded the efforts to clean up oceans by eliminating plastic straws, disability rights groups have said that a total ban on would negatively affect people with physical disabilities.

Access Living, a Chicago-based disability rights organization told Fortune that banning plastic straws is cause for concern: “Many people with disabilities rely on plastic straws as the only way they can drink. Some have proposed the use of metal, glass, bamboo, or paper straws and all of these have issues for at least some people with disabilities.”

The group explained that straws made from alternative materials such as metal, glass, and bamboo “can cause pain or injury to the mouth. Paper straws have a tendency to dissolve. Many people with disabilities need the flexibility of plastic straws because of how their bodies work, or because of how they use their mouths to sip.”