The New York Post quoted South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment as reporting that based on new research, a life cycle review of four types of straws shows that paper straws and even biodegradable straws leave a more destructive effect than regular plastic straws. So traditional plastic recorded the lowest damage in 10 out of 16 environmental indicators, including human toxicity and overall impact on climate change, while paper straws produce more than six times more carcinogens than plastic and contribute to soil and water acidification due to the use of industrial adhesives and waterproof coatings. On the other hand, the very small dimensions of these straws prevent their separation in mechanical recycling devices, and they are not actually recycled. Findings that led to sharp criticism from Korean lawmakers on the "environmental appearance" policy, especially since according to an official survey, more than 87 percent of people also consider it undesirable to drink liquids with these cardboard straws.

The New York Post quoted South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment as reporting that based on new research, a life cycle review of four types of straws shows that paper straws and even biodegradable straws leave a more destructive effect than regular plastic straws. So traditional plastic recorded the lowest damage in 10 out of 16 environmental indicators, including human toxicity and overall impact on climate change, while paper straws produce more than six times more carcinogens than plastic and contribute to soil and water acidification due to the use of industrial adhesives and waterproof coatings. On the other hand, the very small dimensions of these straws prevent their separation in mechanical recycling devices, and they are not actually recycled. Findings that led to sharp criticism from Korean lawmakers on the "environmental appearance" policy, especially since according to an official survey, more than 87 percent of people also consider it undesirable to drink liquids with these cardboard straws.