Study: Paper Straws Worse For The Environment Than Regular Straws

Not the Bee ^ | October 26, 2026 | Daniel Plainview

[Red Badger]

This is absolutely glorious.

A new study from South Korea found that paper straws are somehow worse for the environment than single-use plastic straws.

None of the "eco-friendly" solutions actually worked, and switching away from plastic straws didn't really help the environment. https://t.co/aJYnZEWRuT— Pubity (@pubity) October 25, 2026

Don't forget to mention this to the blue-haired waitress at your local social club!

A South Korean government-commissioned study has determined that paper straws are actually worse for the environment than plastic straws.

Researchers measured the full life cycle impact of four types of straws: plastic straws, paper, biodegradable, and bio-based polyethylene.

From The Korea Herald:

Conventional plastic straws had the smallest impact in 10 of the 16 categories, including climate change, acidification, particulate matter, and human toxicity.

Bio-PE straws had the largest impact in 10 categories, including ozone depletion, acidification, and smog.

Paper straws had the largest impact in three categories, while biodegradable plastic straws did so in two.

South Korea has some skin in the game here. They restricted plastic straws at cafes and restaurants in 2022. A survey, of course, found that almost 90% of Koreans prefer regular old plastic straws.

And they might just be environmentally correct in doing so.

Compared with conventional plastic straws, paper straws also had 2.04 times the acidification impact.

Bio-PE straws were even worse, with 16.18 times the human carcinogenic impact and 5.9 times the acidification impact.

Biodegradable plastic straws had 3.34 times the carcinogenic impact and 1.98 times the acidification impact.

I think we know why Mitch McConnell has been so sick the past few years! Article Image

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine; History; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: propaganda

[SkyDancer]

Yeah, they put paper straws in plastic sleeves. Go figger.

[Nervous Tick]

>> almost 90% of Koreans prefer regular old plastic straws

Because plastic straws SUCK!

[Phoenix8]

Yes I remember when the lefties were shaming everyone in America. For our plastic straws and Walmart bags. Claiming We created these giant plastic gyres in the Pacific. Then a few years later a study came out that showed 90%+ of the plastic in the Pacific came from a handful of Asian nations (Philippines, China. Vietnam and maybe Cambodia..can’t remember exactly). Then the libs became quite about it since they could not blame it on a western nation.

[Steely Tom]

I thought they put plastic straws in paper sleeves.

[rlmorel]

LOL...I had to laugh at myself, at the peak of the “paper straw” fiasco, when I ordered a milkshake, and they gave me a paper straw.

Now, I had never used one, so I thought “How bad could this be?”

The first draw on the straw caused it to collapse from a tube into flat strip. That seemed utterly stupid to me, but I did give it a fair shake. (no pun intended)

So, I turned the straw back into somewhat of an open tube by un-creasing the straw. I tried again, no luck. So I got another straw, waited for the frappe to become more liquid as it warmed and tried again.

If I was careful, I could get some of the drink up the straw, but...within two or three draws, the end of the straw I was sucking on began to revert to the soft, shapeless paper pulp that it had been formed from!

Heh, I threw it away in disgust, went up and asked them for a long handled spoon, and began to eat the drink.

Think of that...I had to “eat” the “drink”!

Fortunately, next time I went there, they had gone back to plastic straws!

LOL, it makes me laugh thinking of the time my wife and I went to another nearby ice cream place and ordered a banana split. They gave it to me, and my favorite part, the maraschino cherries on top were missing.

I politely pointed out they forgot to put them on, and nicely asked the young girl if she could put a few on.

She informed me they didn’t use maraschino cherries any more so they weren’t available. When I asked why they didn’t serve the cherries, she explained that they were unhealthy to eat.

I was taken aback...and I held up the banana split that had there scoops, whipped cream, hot fudge, butterscotch, marshmallow, and...God help them...crushed walnuts, and said “You don’t serve cherries because they are unhealthy, but you serve THIS?” I could feel my blood pressure going up, and I did feel that I was getting hot, and I felt my wife’s gentle hand on my back! Hahahaha, she saw it coming! Now, I wasn’t yelling, and there was no way I was going to verbally castigate that young high school girl just earning some money, but my wife could see the red line rising me!