# FILE NAME: 00000426.soc
# TITLE: Should we ban all plastic straws? [b0707a58c8c29ee8e1becddf94b77e16]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - We should ban all plastic straws, they can easily be replaced with sustainable materials whilst making a huge impact on the environment at the same time.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - In general, the group was in favour of banning plastic straws but thought that it was important to educate people about the benefits of paper straws and how to use them properly, especially in terms of keeping them dry until they are needed. The group also thought that in the absence of paper straws people may revert back to using plastic straws so it would be important to make sure that they were widely available.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - “Plastic straws should be banned, however, there is no alternative readily available, so it is likely to be many years until a ban could be implemented. Moreover, the UK government would need to be consulted as they may need to change laws and regulations to help reduce the amount of plastic in our seas.”
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - Although plastic straws can be recycled, and we should not be too quick to jump to conclusions on the potential environmental harm caused by straws, we agree that the increased presence of plastic waste in our seas is likely to be a negative thing for marine life, and that paper straws are a viable replacement for plastic straws in many situations. However, paper straws are likely to have a larger carbon footprint than plastic straws, which should be taken into consideration when deciding on a suitable replacement. We recognise that banning plastic straws would be an effective way to address this problem, and that although banning them would not have a huge impact on the amount of plastic pollution in our seas, it would raise awareness of the problem, which could be used as a springboard to launch campaigns that could have a greater environmental impact.
2: 4,2,1,3
1: 4,2,3,1
1: 2,3,1,4
1: 4,3,1,2