End Plastics
What’s Up with Your “Plastic” Straw?
October 1, 2025
Happy World Coffee Day! As an avid coffee drinker, my go-to coffee order is unfortunately pretty basic: just a large iced hazelnut latte. I try to carry my own reusable straws when I can, but I often forget. That means I’m usually reaching for a straw to accompany my drink.
Globally, the straw market is still unfortunately dominated by plastic. In the United States, it’s estimated that 390 million straws are used every day. The global market for plastic straws is valued in the tens of billions of USD, with continued demand despite growing environmental awareness and regulatory bans in many regions.
Plastic straws still dominate a large share of the straw market, but there is rapid growth in alternative sustainable materials like paper, bamboo, and bioplastic options. The latter option looks like a regular plastic straw, but closer inspection before you place it in your drink will reveal a different symbol on the wrapper.
The new fall coffee shop trend is increasingly bioplastics. So what exactly are bioplastics? And what should you do with your plastic straws and cups after you have finished your delicious (autumnal) drink?
What are Bioplastics?
Unlike regular petroleum-based plastics, bioplastics describe an assortment of plastics that are either derived from renewable sources (biobased), are biodegradable, or both. Some (not all!) bioplastics are also compostable. Although all compostable products are *technically* biodegradable, there are some key differences between either classification.
Biobased plastics have been around for a long time. The first human-made polymer, Parkesine, was invented by Alexander Parks in 1856 out of a mixture of chloroform and castor oil (ew). In 1941, Henry Ford presented the “soybean car” which used soy-based plastic body panels. Today, more industries are exploring bioplastics, and they are increasingly becoming an option for consumers. Whether it’s biodegradable packaging, mulching films for agriculture, or bioplastic straws, there’s a good chance that a bioplastic alternative to a popular oil-based plastic commodity exists.
Are Bioplastics Better?
The need for a plastic alternative is undeniable. According to Our World in Data, plastic production globally is estimated at over 450 million tons. Of that, 350 million tons are disposed of as plastic waste. This waste ends up in different places; the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated in 2019 that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, 19% is incinerated and about 50% goes to sanitary landfills. The remaining 22% is disposed of in unregulated dumps, burn-pits, or leached into the environment, often the ocean. This influx of plastics and their related additive chemicals causes not only significant environmental degradation and kills wildlife; it’s also associated with serious negative human health impacts.
Compared to this, bioplastics have to be a better alternative, right? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t completely clear. It’s true that bioplastics (particularly biobased plastics) are less reliant on fossil fuels than traditional petroleum-based plastics, and bioplastics can result in smaller greenhouse gas emissions. However, bioplastics possess a range of different properties compared to petroleum plastics, which means a one-to-one switch isn’t always easy or even feasible.
Additionally, bioplastic production can be costly and, depending on the industry, still result in greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, as Recycle Right NY notes, bioplastics advance a mentality that supports the erroneous belief that the convenience of single-use plastics can somehow be mitigated. This undermines the transformational change we need when it comes to plastic production and in how our world sees waste. If we want to end plastic pollution, we need to eradicate all single-use plastic products.
The Bioplastic Disposal Problem
Bioplastic disposal is challenging since, depending on the type of bioplastic, existing recycling plants and waste infrastructure are often unable to process it.
Only bioplastics that are made from chemically identical bio-based versions of regular plastic, specifically polyethylene terephthalate(PET), polyethylene (PE), and Polypropylene (PPP), can go into regular plastic recycling because their identical chemistry does not impact the recycling process. As of 2025, bio-based PET, PE, and PP plastics represent roughly 10-15% of the global bioplastics production volume. Other bioplastics with different chemical compositions, like polylactide (PLA) or polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), cannot be recycled with regular plastics because they contaminate the recycling stream. These bioplastics are usually incinerated or placed in a landfill.
Misleading labels also make disposal confusing. Bioplastics labeled as biodegradable do not always break down in typical environments; many require specific conditions — such as controlled temperature, moisture, and microbial presence — to break down properly. This means that in home composting or landfill settings, bioplastics may not decompose for a long time… just like conventional plastics.
Some biodegradable products might be certified as BPI compostable. This label comes from the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), a third party institute that sets the gold-standard for commercial composting. A BPI compostable certification means that the product has been verified to break down completely in a composting facility without harming the quality of the compost.
So how can you tell what kind of bioplastic you are using? Some manufacturers specify “bio-based PET,” “bio-based PE,” or “bio-based PP,” on their product’s label, which means the item is recyclable with conventional plastics. Similarly, BPI compostable plastics will have a small leaf symbol and should be placed in a dedicated bin for transport to an industrial composting facility.
If a bioplastic product doesn’t bear these plastic identifiers or a BPI compostable certification, it should be treated as non-recyclable bioplastic and will likely have to go into the conventional trash bin.
The Future of Bioplastics
Bioplastics offer a potential alternative to traditional plastics, but only if our composting and recycling infrastructure can meet the disposal challenge. Ultimately, the solution to our plastic problem lies in reducing our consumption of single-use items, whether they are made of traditional plastic or bioplastic. Bioplastics can smooth this transition, but they cannot be a final solution.
There’s never been a better time to find out more about plastic pollution and how you can help reduce your own waste. Think before you buy, do you really need this item or will you use it a few times and throw it in the trash? Reject fast fashion, give up single-use plastics for good, sign our plastic petition and next time you head to buy your morning brew or refreshing drink, ask yourself — do you really need a straw at all?
On another pollution issue, you can further support our work by joining us as we try to stop pesticide producers being given free rein to poison the planet by writing to oppose Section 453 of the Interior Appropriations Bill. This would grant pesticide manufacturers broad legal immunity, even when their products cause harm.
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