#straw discourse

[ebonyheartnet]

Guess who just learned that most paper straws have PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and plastic straws don’t? That shit builds up over time and can cause so much damage.

I wish I could be smug about this after the shit disabled people went through, but I’m just fucking sad.

[pharbitrary]

a question for the people: do straws have one hole or two holes? defend your answer thoroughly (please)

[thebibliosphere]

Hi Joy! So a whole back (like, I think years now) you and a lot of the disabled community rightly went off about reusable straws & how they aren't a fix all for replacing disposable straws for several reasons but specifically: cleanliness. It struck a chord in me, and I know more places are slowly taking on the No Straws thing so I am always on the lookout for reusable straws that would be able to be sterilized or at least scrubbed & verifiably clean with no nasty bits or mold being able to grow in it because they won't dry.

I've been trying all sorts lately (metal, plastic, a few wooden ones) and yeah, none really fit the bill. It kind of became a thing so now I just gravitate to new-looking reusable straws when we are in any store that may reasonably sell such things.

A few days ago, Hubby & I were at Ye Olde Walmart out of desperation (supply chain issues wheee) and I saw these on an end cap and the first thing out of my mouth was "OMG I need to show these to Joy!"

Cue a brief explanation of who you are and welp, into the cart they went. I believe they were $5.99, possibly $6.99, I have since lost the receipt.

May I present for your consideration: The Squeaky Clean Straw

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The big selling factor is you can open them to clean them! The pics were taken a few days ago. I have used one so far (after washing of course). For tea/water/etc, things without...bits? Pulp? It seems to work well! A little bit of that "hmm there's a small crack in my straw" feeling but not unmanageable or frustrating in that you're getting more air than liquid. I haven't yet tried these on stuff like OJ or smoothies, but for basic hydration, they do pretty well! They seem to do alright in hot drinks too.

These are silicon, so not any help for folks allergic I'm afraid, but I was hoping this could maybe be a fit for someone who wants to go reusable but fears the straw won't be clean enough! If you hate getting posts like these & I somehow missed it, my bad & feel free to delete! But if this could help someone out I'd love it if you shared w/ your followers.

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Thank you for the product rec, hopefully, those might be useful to some people. The price is nice too, considering I've seen straws just like this retailing at $20+

It is worth noting that the silicone used in these types of straws is not immune to biofilm build-up over time as the silicone starts to degrade, so it might not be suitable for those with severely decreased immune systems. (Plus dexterity issues. Holding them open to scrub can sometimes be tricky!)

I really wish I could get silicone straws to work for me because I feel like my immune system is in a better place to deal with any potential risks (it certainly wasn't this time two years ago). But for some reason, I still choke while using them. I think they're just too soft/require me to do something different that my jaw/tongue muscles can't handle. Very frustrating, but it is what it is, I'm afraid.

As per usual, this post is not an invitation for people to "solve" my need to use flexible plastic straws to drink fluids without aspirating. Nor is it an invitation to debate the validity of needing plastic straws to accommodate disabilities.

If you're curious about this subject and would like to know more, I'm going to ask that you watch this video from @jessicaoutofthecloset which explains it really well.

Thank you in advance, and please know if you try to start a debate with me over this, I will block you. Both because I don't want to debate my right to live as a disabled person vs your eco-activism, but also to keep you from getting annihilated in the comments.

The disabled community is very tired of the straw debate. The only reason I am posting this is because it was sent in good faith, informative about the product itself, and might help someone looking for alternatives :)

[glucose-gay]

i feel like less ableds would bust a nut over banning plastic straws if they had my motor skills and about 50% of the time they wanted to take a drink of water they also took a non-consensual localised shower

[lastoneout]

The next able-bodied person who gives me their opinion on plastics straws owes every disabled person $300

[dravenxivuk]

Hannah Ensor on Instagram: “The #StrawBan affects many disabled people for whom the alternatives simply aren't safe or practical, and it's horrible having to…”

74 Likes, 3 Comments - Hannah Ensor (@stickmancomms) on Instagram: “The #StrawBan affects many disabled people for whom the alternatives simply aren't safe or…”

[aadmelioraa]

I have a collapsible portable straw (it's called The Final Straw) it's metal but it has silicone inner part and tips, comes in it's own case (made from recycled plastic) with a thing to clean it and a drying rack. It's attached to my key chain.

Oooh I’ll have to check that out! It sounds super practical. I have a reusable contigo tumblr with straw that I use but I’m interested in looking into solo straws esp since I only use that container for water. Tbh I bought the first one bc it was bi flag colored but I love it so much I bought another one on sale so I can wash and rotate them.

[briarpatch-kids]

Disabled people: I need straws to live. If I don't have access to straws I'll get dangerously dehydrated and die.

Some abled shitter: WELL I SAW A VIDEO OF A SEA TURTLE ONCE AND I THINK YOU SHOULD DIE BECAUSE OF THAT