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    Should Plastic Straws Be Banned

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    Should Plastic Straws Be Banned

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    stu.hagerc
    18 views2 pages

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    should_plastic_straws_be_banned

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    18 views2 pages

    Should Plastic Straws Be Banned

    Uploaded by

    stu.hagerc

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Debate VIDEO

    LEXILE
    920L
    GO TO
    WEB VIEW

    Should Plastic
    Straws Be Banned?
    Plastic straws make drinking easy and fun (slurp!).
    But they’re also harming animals around the world.

    W hen you think of plastic straws, you probably straws blow out of garbage cans and landfills.
    imagine frosty milkshakes, ice-cold sodas, and The wind carries them to rivers and oceans. The
    delicious smoothies. Straws make drinking neater straws wash up on beaches and pollute parks.
    and more convenient—and who doesn’t love that Birds, fish, and other animals can eat straws
    noisy slurp at the end of a refreshing beverage? accidentally. Straws have been found stuck in the
    But did you know that Americans use half a noses of sea turtles and wedged in the stomachs
    billion plastic straws every day? That’s enough to of dead birds and dolphins.
    wrap around the planet two-and-a-half times. Some experts say that more than 1 million
    And experts say that all those skinny plastic sea animals are killed each year by straws and
    straws are harming animals around the world. other types of plastic refuse.
    The problem is so serious that many people
    Bad for Earth and Animals want to outlaw plastic straws. Seattle, Washington,
    Americans discard 12 million pounds of is one of several cities that have taken that step.
    plastic straws annually. But a single straw weighs Starting in July, restaurants there will no longer be
    very little. Because they’re so lightweight, many allowed to distribute plastic straws.

    28 December 2017/January 2018 | Scholastic Action


    Not Just for Fun out that not all straws would be outlawed—only
    However, not everyone wants to ban plastic the disposable plastic ones. People could still
    straws completely. That’s because for some people, purchase reusable straws made of materials like
    straws aren’t just about convenience. glass or bamboo.
    Millions of people use straws to get the liquids And consider this solution: straws made of ice.
    they need to survive. Many people have health You make them in special molds in your freezer.
    issues that make it difficult to drink directly from They chill your beverage as you sip, and then they
    a cup. Others are very old and cannot sip safely disappear completely.
    without a straw. Drinkers get to enjoy their slurp—and animals
    Some people have dental problems that make stay safe.
    it painful to drink cold liquids. Sipping through a What a cool idea. •
    straw prevents the icy drinks from touching their
    sensitive teeth. Americans throw out
    And of course, it’s difficult to drink thick, frothy 12 million pounds of
    beverages, like Frappuccinos, without a straw. plastic straws each
    year. Many straws
    Nobody looks attractive with a chocolate mustache blow out of trash
    or a blob of whipped cream on their nose. cans and end up in
    People who support banning straws point oceans and rivers.

    Action
    Activity Should We Ban Plastic Straws? GO
    FURTHER!
    FIND MORE
    WHAT TO DO: Use evidence from the article to support each side of this debate. ACTIVITIES
    Write the information on the lines below.

    Yes They’re too harmful! No They’re so useful!


    PAGE 28: ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES; PAGE 29: MIKE KEMP/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

    1 1

    2 2

    3 3 CAPTION HED TK
    Tk.

    Answers are in the Teacher’s Guide.

    www.scholastic.com/actionmag | December 2017/January 2018 29

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