New Florida Law Could Change How You Drink at Disney World

According to News 6, new legislation has been filed in Florida for the use of drinking straws and the materials used to make them.

Where’s my straw?

The proposal says that it intends to “combat the harmful impacts of paper drinking straws” and “provide businesses and residents of this state with better alternatives to single-use plastic straws and stirrers.”

The goal of the legislation is to “promote uniformity of drinking straw and stirrer regulations throughout this state, rather than forcing businesses to comply with a patchwork of local regulations.” The bill would require those enforcing straw regulations to use ones that are “renewable home compostable certified, industrial compostable certified, and marine biodegradable.”

Reusable Straw

The legislation also says, “Many businesses and communities in this state are using paper drinking straws and stirrers as a purportedly better option for public health and the environment. However, independent university studies have shown that most paper straws contain harmful PFAS chemicals, exposure to which is linked to concerning health risks.” This is in reference to the University of Antwerp’s 2023 study, which linked paper straws with “forever chemicals.”

Tahitian Torch at Trader Sam’s

If you’ve been to Disney World since 2018, you probably noticed that you weren’t handed a plastic straw. Instead, Disney chooses to use paper or biodegradable straws, depending on where you are on the property. They hope to achieve zero landfill waste by 2030. Personally, paper straws aren’t my favorite since they get soggy quickly if you’re a slow drinker. While the biodegradable ones aren’t perfect, they tend to work better than paper straws.