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You Can Have a Straw, at a Price

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Walt Disney World is phasing out disposable plastic straws, but you can now find reusable plastic straws for sale in more locations. Case in point, over at the Pixar Place area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, they’re listing a reusable straw as menu item, right along with the pretzels and popcorn: The Incredibles Straw for $4.00 or a Disney Dining Plan snack credit.

I understand that part of the rationale for reducing straw distribution is to cut down on waste. I applaud that effort, but there’s no way that this item is not ending up in a landfill after just a use or two. Those twisty straws are almost impossible to clean. In my opinion, you’re better off bringing your own eco-friendly version and buying your child a small souvenir toy that he or she will get some real play use from.

What do you think? Souvenir straw, yea or nay?

Photos: Christina Harrison

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Erin Foster

Erin Foster is an original member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel (now PlanDisney), a regular contributor to TouringPlans.com, and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. She's been to WDW, DL, DL Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Aulani, DVC Vero Beach, and DVC Hilton Head. She's a Platinum DCL cruiser and veteran of 10 Adventures by Disney trips. Erin lives near New York City, where she can often be found indulging in her other obsession - Broadway theater.

14 thoughts on “You Can Have a Straw, at a Price

  • I am not happy about it and am bringing my own plastic straws – I wasted five straws on each frozen beverage how does that help the environment?
    And doesn’t washing the reusable waste water????
    STUPID virtue signaling.

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  • If we bring our own straws will they allow it? Cause like, them making me throw it away is still wasteful… I’m not kidding, I have already bought straws to bring. Any experience with this?

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    • I have brought my own straws into the WDW parks. Once a security guard commented on it on because he thought it was odd, but he didn’t take them away.

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  • They are cute (love the pixar clip that can be repurposed) but they contain enough plastic to make 100 straws and I don’t think people will be using these 100 times.

    It’s like the plastic grocery bag paradox. People buy & bring those sturdy reusable grocery bags, but those bags contain enough plastic to make 1000 thin store plastic bags and take 10 times longer to degrade and most won’t get used 1000 times to replace the impact.
    Solving a problem with a bigger problem is a problem.

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  • What a profitable way to express support for the environment.

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    • Anything for a profit and a bonus Mr. Iger

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    • Anything for a profit and a bonus Mr. Iger . I can already see those frozen drinks all over kids which in turn now need to buy a shirt to replace ‍♀️

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  • Does anyone else see the irony in this? They are getting rid of disposable plastic straws in place of reusable plastic straws that come in a disposable plastic bag.

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  • I have some experience cleaning straws like these.

    1. Rinse thoroughly immediately after use. Don’t allow milk or sugary drinks to “settle” in the straw and stay there long term. Especially milk because once the proteins harden they are extremely difficult to clean out (did you know that casein in milk can be used to make glue, and that milk paint uses the casein to bond the pigment in the paint to the surface being painted?). So do NOT let milk dry in the straw. Sugary drinks are less of an issue; everything will dissolve but it’s more what might have been growing in the microdrops while the straw was waiting to be washed.

    2. Enzymatic foaming denture cleanser and a shallow tray works great.

    3. As an alternative, especially if you’ve rinsed really well, 1 part vinegar and 3 parts tap water + 60 minute soak, or 2 tsp bleach + 1 gallon of water + two minute soak.

    If you started with something that you really let sit just a bit too long, go with the denture cleanser _and_ the bleach, just to be on the safe side.

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    • You are the world leader in straw maintenance. Well done!

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    • I hear you, but realistically, not many people will be doing this level of maintenance on vacation.

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      • Oh, definitely agreed. But given that you can spend a snack credit on it, I can easily see people using this as a way to take home souvenirs from their trip with extra snack credits.

        The truth of the matter is that if you’re only there for a couple of days, and you don’t use it on dairy or other “sticky” beverages, a really good rinse after each use will be fine. It’s only after a few days of use that you start to run the risk of biofilms building up inside of the straw.

  • My first thought, too, was “how do you clean this?” Now if it was straight with a character hanging onto it? THAT I would buy. Especially if said character was Goofy.

    Reply

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