Banning plastic straws could have unintended negative consequences for the disabled

Tomorrow, the long-distance swimmer Ben Lecomte will complete an epic journey across the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, one of the most polluted stretches of sea on the planet.

He’s been swimming to highlight the threat plastic waste in our oceans poses to the environment and wildlife.

It was that threat, in part, which led to the government’s decision to ban plastic straws, due to come into effect in April next year.

But as our Factcheck team has found, plastic straws make up only a tiny fraction of marine waste. And the ban could have some unintended consequences.