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Los Angeles Clippers: Staples Center is banning plastic straws

By Jasmine Robinson

This illustration taken on August 15, 2018, shows plastic straws, in a studio, in Paris. - There are more than eight billion tons of plastic littering the planet -- the lion's share of which is not recyclable -- and plastic production is expected to double in the next two decades according to a study in the journal PLOS ONE. The French government wants to introduce from next year -2019- a bonus-malus system to spread the plastic recycling among consumers, in the midst of a global regulation of the sector. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images)
This illustration taken on August 15, 2018, shows plastic straws, in a studio, in Paris. - There are more than eight billion tons of plastic littering the planet -- the lion's share of which is not recyclable -- and plastic production is expected to double in the next two decades according to a study in the journal PLOS ONE. The French government wants to introduce from next year -2019- a bonus-malus system to spread the plastic recycling among consumers, in the midst of a global regulation of the sector. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) /
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The Staples Center, home of both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers will be removing all plastic straws from the arena.

As reported by Arash Markazi, Staples Center will no longer be using plastic straws.

This plastic straw movement turned into somewhat of a controversy that’s gained supporters and opposers, all via the internet. Environmentalists believe that improper disposal of plastic straws could be contributing to pollution on a level greater than we know. They believe something as small and simple as plastic straws can easily be removed from our daily lives.

And that’s exactly what Staples Center decided to do. Plastic straws are just beginning to be regulated in California, and the biggest arena in the country definitely made a splash by making this decision.

To put things into perspective, imagine a sold out Clippers game, where all 21,000 seats are filled. Suppose all 21,000 fans get a drink. Now multiply that by the amount of home games there are, 42. Thats 882,000 straws that get thrown away.

Now take into account the other teams that play at Staples, the events, concerts, and anything else that is held there over the course of just one year. That’s a ton of straws (probably hundreds of tons) that likely end up in the ocean.

It’s estimated that Americans collectively use 250 million plastic straws every day, which is enough straws to circle the Earth two times. So Staples made the right move, at least for their optics. Other arenas will likely follow suit.

The straw ban will surely make an impact, but how big is the question. Even thought straws are so frequently used by everyone, they’re only a fraction of the problem. There are definitely bigger steps that need to be taken to help conserve our planet, such as big corporations decreasing their carbon footprint.

Either way, the temporary home of the Clippers has taken it’s side on the straw debate and will no longer be distributing them to fans. So if you’re adamant on using a straw and you’re too good to sip from the cup, bring your own reusable, metal straws.

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You might be asking yourself, why does this matter? And how does this pertain to the Clippers? Well it doesn’t. And it doesn’t. But it’s good to know that the Clippers will now be the only things sucking in Staples Center.

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