As a maritime nation should we ban plastic drinking straws?
One of the world's leading makers of single-use plastic drinking straws has told Radio 5 Live that the development of more environmentally friendly alternatives is "stuck".
John Sidanta, chief executive of Primaplast, said he was aware of rising global concern over levels of plastic pollution in oceans and landfills.
But he said affordable alternatives had yet to be developed.
At the moment, greener straws cost a hundred times more, he said.
Primaplast manufactures up to 600 million polypropylene plastic straws a month from its base in Tangerang, Indonesia, for markets in Europe and Japan, where they are sold alongside cartons of juice, milkshakes and yoghurt drinks.
Despite a useful life of just minutes, traditional plastic straws cannot degrade once disposed of and Mr Sidanta acknowledges their days are probably numbered.
Some firms are already beginning to curb their use.
The pub chain JD Wetherspoon and Pizza Express have announced plans to phase them out completely, while other firms, such as All Bar One, say they plan to substantially reduce the availability of plastic straws in their branches.
Cornwall may become the first county to ban them from bars and restaurants after a campaign by the group Final Straw Cornwall. Read More
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