Irreplaceable

Many countries are moving away from the use of plastic straws and towards paper straws. Unfortunately, the latter makes for a poor substitute and is much more difficult to use. Plastic, it would seem, is a victim of its own success. It is inexpensive to make, lightweight and flexible. Because they are often given away for free, people tend to discard plastic straws, plates and bags after using them once.

Plastic waste is a pressing problem, but taking plastics out of our lives is, for now, totally impractical. Therefore we should think about how to use and recycle it more wisely. We should also subsidize the development of biodegradable plastics.

Uswa Naveed

Chakwal