So in all the convos on this I don't see anyone thinking that if major players like Disney, theme parks, cruise lines, schools, fast food locations etc all stop buying plastic straws ... offering only paper straws ......... that the manufacturers will retrofit their production lines to (1) produce only paper straws since that market will increase replacing their lost sales or (2) produce other things such as sipper tops etc that they can sell in huge bulk again completely getting out of the straw business. At that point the plastic straws may be made by so few that the costs will be driven up, meaning those places who were keeping them may choose to not spend that money and make a switch as well.
We have to start somewhere on being responsible and while it seems small, I think the fact that these are so dangerous to animals, and there is are alternative products - it's a good target. There are also a wide range of options that folks can purchase and carry themselves from stainless to bamboo to silicone to glass to reusable plastic ... they all come with carriers and cleaners. We are looking to purchase some of these for our cruise.