Ditch the plastic straws.
I was never a heavy straw user, so this has not been that difficult for me. When I go out to eat, I just choose to drink without a straw. Since my daughter tends to use straws at home, I have purchased paper straws she can use. There are bamboo straws, metal straws, or glass straws as an option too. Some even have a carrying case you can take with you when you go out to eat. Most come with a special straw cleaning brush. We have just tried the metal ones so far, but my kids did not care for them, as they get really cold when using. The paper straws have been great and are compostable in our backyard tumbler, so I love that.
I co-led the Green Team at my daughter’s elementary school, and we proposed getting rid of straws in the lunchroom. They did adopt the policy, but made an exception for those kiddos with special needs that required a straw. That was a big win for us, as there were over 600 kiddos that used straws each day.
My goal this year is to eliminate all the plastic I can from my home, so this is one item I have already replaced. There are many more to go, and I will keep you updated on my progress.
Here is a video similar to the one I watched that spurred me to make this change: