That anti-straw movement? It's all based on one 9-year-old's suspect statistic

Alex Connor | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Starbucks to ditch plastic straws by 2020 Starbucks, citing the environment threat to oceans, will ban plastic straws from all of its stores globally in less than two years.

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this article misstated the estimated amount of plastic produced globally since the mid-1950s, which is 8.3 billion metric tons.

The origin of the movement to ban plastic straws may come as a surprise: It began with a 9-year-old boy named Milo Cress and his 2011 campaign, "Be Straw Free," which launched to raise awareness about plastic waste.

His big finding? Americans use more than 500 million drinking straws daily, enough to fill 125 school buses. That figure has become highly touted since, referenced in straw ban coverage from The New York Times and National Geographic to reports from the National Park Service (and USA TODAY).

Now 16 years old, Cress just finished his junior year of high school and finds himself the face of a movement felt by global chains from Starbucks to McDonald's. But it's not without criticism — especially of his 500 million stat.

It started years ago when Cress noticed a trend while out to eat. He would see people take the plastic straws out of their drinks and put them on the table — never actually using them.

This didn't sit right with Cress. It felt like such a waste.

"I thought if restaurants were to offer a straw instead of serving them with every drink automatically, it could really reduce the number of straws that we use," he said.

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He talked to a local restaurant and asked if they would adopt a policy to "offer first." They were on board.

Not only was it a cost saver, but it also made customers more aware of plastic they use and eventually throw away, Cress said — especially straws, which have a short-use span but a 200-year lifespan.

Cress talked to restaurants, politicians and peers. His philosophy picked up traction. The idea was digestible, easy enough to understand and practice.

But as Cress began to dig into research on plastics and the environment, he noticed there wasn't much data: "I couldn’t find anything on our use of straws in the United States," he said.

So he called straw manufacturers himself, asking what they estimated to be the straw market in the United States per day. Some gave him a yearly estimate, which he divided by 365.

"Others gave an estimate of around 500 million straws," Cress said. "That was the number that I stuck to, because it seemed to be around the middle of what they were saying."

But with national coverage of Cress' statistic came criticism: Conservative-leaning outlets such as Fox News, Washington Examiner, and Reason, aimed to debunk the figure.

The teen is aware of objections to the less-than-verified stat.

"Why I use this statistic is because it illustrates that we use too many straws," he said. "I think if it were another number, it still illustrates the fact that there is room for reduction. That’s really my message."

Eco-Cycle, a Colorado-based recycling nonprofit that partnered with Cress' campaign, trusts his statistic. If anything, said Eco-Cycle communications director Harlin Savage, 500 million straws per day could be too low. And if anyone has come up with a different figure, Savage — plus a lot of other people, she said — would like to see it. She applauded the teen's efforts.

“He saw a problem and it really bothered him, and he decided to do something about it,” Savage said. “He’s a wonderful role model.”

In 2013, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper declared July 11 as "Straw Free Day" and cited efforts made by Cress. Cress has also embarked on an international tour encouraging students to act on issues they care about.

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So are straws crucial in the war on plastics? It’s a step in the right direction, one expert said.

Kara Lavender Law, research professor of oceanography at the Sea Education Association, said the straw free movement serves as a “public service announcement” for environmental issues.

Law has studied plastics and the marine environment for more than a decade.

“If you look at your own plastics footprint, one of the easiest ways is to decline the straw,” Law said. “Many of us use a straw simply because it came in the drink that was given to us.”

And if one aims to cut down plastic usage beyond the straw, Law recommends cutting “items of convenience, not items of necessity.”

She estimates that since the mid-1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced globally. Sixty percent of it now accumulates in a landfill or natural environment, such as the ocean.

These findings were published in a 2017 study Law co-authored called “Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made." It’s one of the first comprehensive looks at plastics and where they end up.

And of the 8.3 billion metric tons — a number too high for Law to “realistically count” — her team believes just 9 percent of those plastics have been recycled.

“It’s second only to steel and cement for human production of a mass material,” Law said. “A huge amount has been made, and very little has been recycled or incinerated.”

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