Sounds like a line out of a Cialis commercial, doesn’t it? No, I’m not talking about ED meds, I’m referring to the immensely controversial garden-variety drink straw. It’s the latest “issue” we as humans are going to have to deal with… right after we solve the plastic water bottle pollution problem.

I came across this wonderfully interesting article, Grasping at Straws, and it got me thinking about the subject more-so than the easily solvable problem of plastic water bottles (just stop buying them. Seriously, just get a metal water bottle).

I never considered the issue of accessibility when we talk about outlawing plastic straws in restaurants. But it does present a problem. I also never knew there were so many alternative straws out there. Bamboo, paper, corn and food-based straws.

Perhaps the easiest and best option is what my wife started using about a year ago (see the image above). Metal straws. They’re available in different sizes, some straight, some with the bendy top—though they aren’t flexible. And they’re relatively cheap at Amazon.

This isn’t something I normally write about on this site, but the article linked above offers a great history of the straw, the problems they present and some great solutions. It’s the type of thing that you can actually do something about right now to help rid the world of the pollution.