Forming An Opportunity Belief

I think an opportunity exists with plastic and paper straws debate and how it contributes to toxic waste. There has been some debate about whether that is something we should be putting all our focus on or if we should find alternate solutions. Most debate comes when people are arguing for the disabled community where metal straws can cause them to injure themselves or paper straws not being temperature safe and dissolving and becoming a choking hazard. Plastic straws make up about 6% of plastic trash. Food containers and wrappers on the other hand contribute to around 20% of all plastic waste. Fishing supplies are also a major contributor, probably the biggest, of the waste that harms ocean life. My belief is whether our focus on plastic straws have made us turn a blind eye on the bigger problems and contributors of toxic waste. The need to reduce plastic waste has always been present, but awareness has become more prevalent in current years. Many companies such as Starbucks have made initiatives to ban plastic straws to help reduce plastic waste. My opportunity comes into play when choosing what plastic to reduce when operating a business similar to Starbucks. Like previously mentioned, food packaging contributes to around four times more waste than plastic straws. Prototypical customers are any consumers that buy groceries from companies that use non-biodegradable plastic containers or consume food or drinks that use plastic/paper straws regularly. 

My first prototypical customer is someone who is not a huge activist in environmental progress and the ways that we can reduce plastic waste. The following are answers and opinions they have provided me through an interview. 

• He believes that the need to ban plastic straws is to reduce the amount of non-degradable materials in the ocean and environment. 
• Paper straws are a nuisance when they are given to him but he prefers them to plastic straws because he can use them with a cleaner conscience. 
• He has been more aware of the problem of plastic waste through the media placing bigger emphasis on environmental protection. 
• A notable point of awareness was when he found out about the death of the Great Barrier Reef.
• He is addressing the problem by trying to recycle any plastic that he does use, but he says he does not know how else to fix this issue. 
• He would be satisfied with a solution of still using plastic straws and the focus and policies/bans being pinned onto changing plastic containers and wrappers in similar establishments since mass producers of plastic need to be held accountable. 

My second customer is someone who is actively participating in ways to reduce toxic wastes and has a basic foundation of the environmental problems that earth is facing. 

• She believes that the need to ban plastic straws is because it is harming the environment and polluting our oceans, even if it is a small problem, it adds up. 
• She became aware of the problem through a surge of social media attempts to bring awareness to the issue. There was a video of someone pulling out a plastic straw from a sea turtle's nose and that's kind of how the whole straw issue blew up. 
• This problem has been present in her life since they started to actually ban plastic straws form certain establishments. 
• Major environmental changes like climate change, wildfires, and death of great natural beauties have been the motivator for her to act m ore environmentally conscious. She addresses it by using the least amount of plastic she can and by shopping smart and eco friendly choices. 
• She thinks paper straws should remain, maybe a better and sturdier version should be created. And that establishments should also band plastic containers to more eco friendly options. 

My third customer was someone who is involved in many organizations on campus working with people with disabilities. 

• He thinks the need for change is urgent based on many studies of how long we have until we pass a point where earth is beyond repair. 
• He has always been aware of the problem for as long as he can remember. Pollution has always been an issue in the world that needs fixing.
• He personally does not mind the paper straws but does agree that they neglect the disabled community as it does present a hazard for them
• He thinks that plastic straw options should remain an option, but paper straws should also be enforced. He does think that the focus should be switched to more prevalent contributors such as packaging.

Reflection: I learned that my opportunity is something that almost everyone can relate to. We only have one earth and plastic waste is a huge contributor to the pollution and death of many animals and habitats. I think the most surprising thing I learned from each interview is that people actually did not mind the paper straws as much as I thought they would. 

My original opportunity is still very much there, plastic waste needs to be reduced. My opportunity has renewed a little, I think that paper straws should still be enforced but I also think that it should not be the main focus of plastic reduction campaigns.