The environment is one thing, but beverage drinking requires certain equipment.

In 2018, the UK branch of McDonald’s made a big commitment to rid its restaurants of plastic straws during 2019. Economic activism on environmental issues is a trend that has been going on for a very long time, and the focus right now is on plastics, and plastic straws in particular. The McDonald’s UK commitment to end the use of plastic straws quickly gained traction in the US as well. The result has been an overall win for the environment, and less reliance on single-use plastic straws.

Paper straws have replaced the over 1.8 million plastic straws used in the UK annually, but many people have responded to this change with less enthusiasm. Fans of “Mac Don’s” milkshakes have begun sharing their dissatisfaction over the internet. Paper may be better for the environment, but when it comes to soaking up certain liquids, the material simply lacks the rigidity of the good old plastic straws.

The is where the market comes to save the day. Where there is a demand, there will inevitably be suppliers. In this case, the demand is plastic straws, and the suppliers are the heroes who are offering plastic straws on sites like eBay. The thing is that some people are asking for quite a lot of money. One eBay user wants 1000 quid (USD $1118) for a straw, while other users are offering more “reasonable” deals. It would not be surprising if going forward we see more reusable, portable straws at our local McDonald’s.