{"id":749846,"date":"2026-10-27T05:05:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/paper-straws-worse-for-the-environment-than-plastic-ones-says-study\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T05:05:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:05:22","slug":"paper-straws-worse-for-the-environment-than-plastic-ones-says-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/paper-straws-worse-for-the-environment-than-plastic-ones-says-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic ones, says study"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af5afb092f36\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af5afb092f36\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/paper-straws-worse-for-the-environment-than-plastic-ones-says-study\/#%E2%80%9CPaper_straws_worse_for_the_environment_than_plastic_ones_says_study%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic ones, says study&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CPaper_straws_worse_for_the_environment_than_plastic_ones_says_study%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic ones, says study&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F10%2Fpaper-straws-comp_def938.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This scientific study might be the last straw.<\/p>\n<p>A damning study out of South Korea has revealed that paper straws might actually be worse for the planet than plastic ones, especially when their life cycle is traced from the factory floor to the landfill.<\/p>\n<p>The findings suck the air out of some long-winded environmental protests, which claimed for a decade that plastic straws were on par with toxic fumes or forest fires \u2014 and fought to make iced lattes nearly impossible to drink through a soggy, wilted tube of cardboard.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Plastic straws may have a marginal effect on the environment compared with paper ones, according to a South Korean study. <span class=\"credit\">sonyachny \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The research <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/new-updates\/paper-straws-are-more-harmful-than-plastic-straws-south-korean-study-finds-check-what-research-reveals\/articleshow\/135204628.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-nyp-affiliate=\"true\">comes<\/a> from South Korea\u2019s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, which analyzed four types of straws \u2014 paper, plastic, biodegradable plastic, and sugarcane-based \u2014 across 16 environmental categories.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Traditional plastic straws showed the lowest environmental footprint in 10 of the 16 categories, including human toxicity, particulate matter, and overall climate change impact.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, paper straws were found to generate over six times more carcinogens than standard plastic, along with double the impact on environmental acidification.<\/p>\n<p>As for \u201cBio-PE\u201d straws \u2014 the kind made from renewable sources like sugarcane \u2014 they produced 16 times the carcinogenic impact of standard plastic straws, along with six times the acidification damage (the metric scientists use to measure changes in ocean and soil pH levels).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Paper straws were found to be difficult to recycle, with a higher chance of upsetting the ocean ecosystem. <span class=\"credit\">Tetiana Ivanova \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But aren\u2019t paper straws better anyway because they can be recycled?<\/p>\n<p>Not exactly. The study found that because paper straws are so small, they routinely slip through sorting equipment at recycling facilities, meaning almost none actually get recycled. <\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, their water-resistant coatings and industrial glues prevent them from breaking down easily, demanding more energy during processing and leaving open the possibility that microplastics could end up in the recycled pulp anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Confronted with the findings, South Korean lawmaker Kim Wi-sang criticized domestic environmental groups and his own government for prioritizing feel-good narratives over hard <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Reusable straws are an ideal alternative, if possible. <span class=\"credit\">Matija \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe government must acknowledge the failure of its greenwashing policy, which fixated on ineffective substitute materials,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The public seems to agree. According to a government survey of 1,001 South Korean citizens, 87.5% dislike paper straws.<\/p>\n<p>So what\u2019s the solution? If possible, invest in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yeti.com\/drinkware\/drinkware-accessories\/21071509023.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a set of reusable straws<\/a> made from durable materials like stainless steel or silicone, which are dishwasher-safe and easy to rinse out in the sink.<\/p>\n<p>Or you could simply sip your drink using nature\u2019s original straw: your mouth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" >News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/10\/26\/lifestyle\/paper-straws-worse-for-the-environment-than-plastic-ones-says-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic ones, says study&#8221; This scientific study might be the last straw. A damning study out of South Korea has revealed that paper straws might actually be worse for the planet than plastic ones, especially when their life cycle is traced from the factory floor to the landfill&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-749846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=749846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749846\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=749846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=749846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=749846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}