The question isn't necessarily 'How can we stop plastic straws existing?' but 'Why the hell are plastic straws ending up in our oceans when I clearly put mine in the bin?'

Plastic straws have become the symbol of the campaign against plastic pollution of the seas - which has now elevated them into a political issue:
Futures Forum: Politics and plastic straws

Because it's actually always been about more than plastic straws:
Futures Forum: Plastic straw bans alone won't solve anything. But maybe they're a start.
Futures Forum: Banning plastic straws and cotton buds is hardly scratching the surface of the problem of waste plastic in the environment

The writer and professional 'debunker' Tracy King makes the point that it's actually easier to focus on the plastic straw than deal with the real issues: 

The war on plastic straws makes suckers of us all

PUBLISHED: 12:30 01 September 2018

Tracy King

PRESTWICK, SCOTLAND. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The war on plastic straws might make us all feel better but we shouldn’t mistake it for serious environmental progress, says TRACY KING. This battle is just the latest example of eco-misdirection.

The war on plastic straws makes suckers of us all | Latest Brexit news and top stories - The New European
Tracy King on Twitter: "Well look here, I’m on the cover. Buy this week’s @TheNewEuropean because you want to read what I have to say about the war on plastic straws…

Here is part of the article from Press Reader: 

PressReader.com - Connecting People Through News

Because, yes, the whole thing of waste management is just too complicated:
Futures Forum: District Council and plastic pollution >>> What percentage is recycled, what percentage is incinerated and what percentage goes to landfill? Some answers received...
Futures Forum: District Council and plastic pollution >>> What percentage is recycled, what percentage is incinerated and what percentage goes to landfill?
Futures Forum: County Council and plastic pollution >>> "the Council will use its position and responsibility to raise awareness of the issues surrounding single-use plastics" >>> BUT the Council "does not hold information" on how its reprocessors deal with its plastic waste
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