Plastic straws are in the sights of environmental campaigners, but the push to ban this simple product could have unintended consequences.

Advocacy group The Last Straw already boasts a robust list of venues across the nation committed to reducing their use of plastic.

Earlier this month, Cairns Regional Council unanimously agreed to phase out plastic straws in its operations — a first for Queensland — after a campaign by 10-year-old Molly Steer.

Molly Steer, 10, convinced Cairns Regional Council to phase out plastic straws in all its operations. ( Supplied: Straw No More )

And UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced this week that she planned to ban the commercial use of disposable plastic products such as cotton buds, drink stirrers and plastic straws in response to rising fears regarding plastic marine pollution. She urged other Commonwealth leaders — including Australia — to follow suit.

Mrs May claimed that single-use items such as plastic straws are "one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world" in a meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government.

Straws are important tools

But the push for a straw ban does not seem to consider the necessity for such single-use tools for people with a disability.

Utensils such as plastic straws serve an essential role in the daily lives of some people with physical disabilities, helping them with to eat and drink. They are also used as tools to exercise the lungs.

Plastic straws are particularly important for disabled people because they are flexible, cheap and widely accessible.

Alternatives such as metal or glass straws do not offer the same degree of flexibility.

Despite the availability of more environmentally friendly biodegradable straws, many of these products are not suitable to be used for liquids above 40 degrees Celsius, making them impractical for the consumption of soup or hot beverages — the average cup of coffee is served at about 70C.

Michaela Hollywood says protecting the environment and supporting people with disabilities do not have to be incongruous. ( Supplied )

Chief executive of ConnectAbility Australia David Carey says that although alternative materials for straws do exist in the market, they do not measure up in either convenience or safety.

"You can't leave straws with alternative materials in a drink for more than a few hours and expect them to be at all useful," he says.

"I hope science will come to the rescue on this issue, but it would be good if it could come to the rescue before we make any decision to ban plastic straws."

Disability rights advocate Michaela Hollywood from Muscular Dystrophy UK says protecting the environment and supporting people with disabilities do not have to be incongruous.

"As a disabled person I am deeply concerned about the environment. There is no doubt that our society needs to change our ways and reduce or eliminate single use plastic from our lives," she says.

"I have bought a reusable, durable plastic cup which is very expensive. Lots of my peers have been unable to find alternatives that they can use. Biodegradable plastic straws melt, and many of the other environmentally friendly straws don't bend. There is no one-size-fits-all solution."

Bans work but politicians must consult

Many Australian states have already restricted disposable products, with major retailers banned from using lightweight plastic bags in South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and more recently Queensland and Western Australia.

The ban has had an effect: the number of plastic bags going to landfill in the ACT fell by 36 per cent since the bans were enacted in 2011, dropping from 266 tonnes to 171 tonnes in 2014.

State-wide bans are an effective way to drastically reduce the commercial use of disposable plastic products. But it's also important to consider the cost to all affected communities, and politicians have a duty to consult widely.

Many straws end up in our oceans, where they can harm wildlife. ( Supplied: Harriet Spark )

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has not committed to any type of commercial ban of single-use plastic products such as straws.

"The banning of plastic bags and other items of plastic has been debated in Australia over many years; it's largely a matter of state regulation [...] it's something that will come up for review," Turnbull told reporters in London on Thursday.

"The important point is to ensure plastic waste does not find its way into our oceans."

Straws on demand is a better policy

Ms Hollywood admits that while a ban may be an effective step forward for the environment, there is a simpler solution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people with disabilities.

"Disabled people who have no alternatives should be exempt from bans. Public places should have plastic straws — and other plastic products like cutlery — available on request only for those for whom it is an essential need, not a luxury."

It's important that we all review our unnecessary use of disposable plastic.

With Australians using an estimated a billion disposable coffee cups a year, focusing on limiting these inessential plastic products could do even more to help protect our planet against the rising tide of single-use plastics, without jeopardising people with disabilities.

Eden Faithfull is a freelance journalist.