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Sustainable management of drinking plastic straws is required to reduce plastic pollution: Are we using them more during COVID-19?
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Researchers examined sustainable management approaches for single-use plastic drinking straws, finding that COVID-19 pandemic conditions increased plastic straw consumption alongside other pandemic-related plastic waste, underscoring the need for improved waste management policies.
Nowadays, single-use plastic pollution attracts the attention of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. In addition to personal protective equipment (PPEs) waste during the COVID-19 pandemic, other unpreceded plastic wastes such as packaging from online shopping and food delivery, viruses confirmatory testing, and drinking straws also contributed to pollution and worsened around the globe. This perspective aimed to provide insights into drinking plastic straws as an important source of plastic pollution. Literature searches confirmed that drinking plastic straws, unlike PPEs, have not been researched whether it is an important contributor to pollution or not during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, research on the pollution level of this plastic waste and its association with COVID-19 is required. Drinking straw producers and users require adequate strategies and management of this plastic pollution and more widespread rules and regulations to prevent environmental implications and health risks. This study can usefully give highlights for environmentalists, solid waste management experts, policymakers, and governments by describing the environmental impact and raising health risks of drinking plastic straw pollution.
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A Brief Review on Plastic Pollution and Roads Towards its Reduction
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This brief review summarized sources of plastic pollution and evaluated reduction strategies, noting that COVID-19 increased single-use plastic consumption dramatically. The review calls for improved waste management, stronger regulations, and development of biodegradable plastic alternatives to reduce the microplastic burden.
Bio-based alternatives to plastic drinking straws: are they more environmentally benign and consumer preferred?
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This study evaluated bio-based alternatives to conventional plastic drinking straws, assessing the environmental footprint of paper and polylactic acid straws versus plastic and comparing their functional properties including user experience.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Problem of Plastic Waste in the EU
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This paper analyzed how the COVID-19 pandemic affected plastic waste generation and management in the European Union, finding that single-use plastic consumption increased sharply due to healthcare and hygiene needs. The surge in plastic use raises concerns about increased microplastic pollution in the long term.
COVID‐19: An Accelerator for Global Plastic Consumption and Its Implications
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This review examined how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global plastic consumption through increased medical waste and single-use plastics, analyzing the environmental implications and challenges for waste management systems worldwide.
From outbreak of COVID-19 to launching of vaccination drive: invigorating single-use plastics, mitigation strategies, and way forward
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Researchers review how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccination rollout dramatically increased single-use plastic consumption through PPE, medical devices, and e-commerce packaging, and recommend a stepwise management approach combining segregation, sterilization, technological innovation, and transition to biodegradable material alternatives.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.