Paper Straws vs Plastic Straws: Comparison, Benefits & Drawbacks

Somewhere along the way, the humble drinking straw turned into a symbol. Ban the plastic one, cheer for the paper one, feel good about lunch. But if you have ever watched a paper straw slump into your iced coffee ten minutes in, you have probably wondered whether the swap is actually the win it is sold as. We have used both for years, and the honest answer is messier than either camp likes to admit.

Here is the short version, and then we will back it up: paper straws break down far faster than plastic, but they are still single-use, many carry a chemical coating, and neither one is what we would reach for. If you would rather sip reusably and stop buying straws at all, a reusable straw beats both on nearly every measure. Let’s compare paper and plastic fairly, then show you what actually lives in our cupboard.

Our top picks: skip the disposable debate

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• Best for everyday — an insulated tumbler with a built-in silicone straw (Owala FreeSip and Simple Modern make popular versions). One cup, one soft straw, and no daily throwaways to think about.
• Best for on the go — a stainless steel straw set with a travel case. Toss a couple in a bag with the little brush and you are set for years.
• Best for home — a borosilicate glass straw set with cleaning brushes. Clear glass means you can see it is clean, and it feels great with smoothies and iced drinks.

Paper straws vs plastic straws: the quick comparison

If you only skim one thing, make it this. Here is how the two disposables stack up on the factors people actually care about.

So do paper straws really beat plastic?

On the single question of how long each one sticks around, paper wins clearly. A 2024 study measured how fast so-called biodegradable straws actually disappear in coastal seawater and found they broke down in about 8 to 20 months, according to the American Chemical Society. Conventional plastic is a different story. NOAA’s Marine Debris Program notes that plastic straws are often said to take up to around 200 years to break down, while stressing that real timelines are uncertain and depend on sunlight, temperature, and where the straw ends up. Either way, a few months versus a couple of centuries is not a close race.

Paper also starts from a renewable material rather than crude oil, and it does not fragment into the microplastics that plastic sheds as it weathers. That matters, because plastic never truly goes away, it just gets smaller. This is the real reason the anti-plastic case is strong: it is not that plastic straws are a huge share of ocean waste on their own, it is that they represent a throwaway habit that adds up.

The catch with paper: forever chemicals

Paper does not get a free pass, though. To keep a paper straw from dissolving mid-sip, manufacturers coat it, and a 2023 peer-reviewed study in Food Additives & Contaminants found PFAS “forever chemicals” in the majority of paper straws it tested, at higher rates than in plastic ones. PFAS are linked to a range of health and environmental concerns and, ironically, they do not biodegrade, which undercuts the whole point of choosing paper. We dug into this on our companion piece on why paper straws may be toxic if you want the full picture. The takeaway is not “paper is bad,” it is “paper is not automatically clean,” and coatings vary a lot by brand.

What plastic straws do in the bigger picture

Zoom out and the plastic problem is genuinely large, even if straws are a small slice of it. The OECD estimates the world now produces around 460 million tonnes of plastic a year, roughly double what we made in 2000, and only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally. A large share is landfilled, burned, or mismanaged, and researchers estimate that 8 to 11 million tonnes of plastic reach the ocean every year. Once there, plastic breaks into microplastics that fish and plankton eat, which is how it works its way up the food chain. A single straw is tiny, but the single-use mindset it stands for is not.

Cost, honestly

Plastic is cheaper up front, at a penny or two per straw versus roughly 8 to 10 cents for paper. Paper also weighs more to ship and can go soggy, which means more replacements. But this comparison quietly assumes you keep buying disposables forever. A reusable straw flips the math: spend a few dollars once, and the per-use cost drops toward zero over the hundreds of drinks that follow. That is the version of “cheap” we actually like.

The option that beats both

Here is where we land after years of doing away with disposable straws in our own kitchen: the greenest straw is the one you already own. Glass is smooth and lets you see it is clean. Stainless steel is basically indestructible and perfect for travel. Silicone is soft, kid-friendly, and bendy. If you are weighing materials, our guides on glass vs stainless steel straws and the easiest reusable straws to clean will point you to the right one. Keep the paper straws for the party where a hundred guests each need one, and let a reusable handle your everyday drink.

Frequently asked questions

Are paper straws actually better than plastic?

For end-of-life, yes: biodegradable paper straws break down in roughly 8 to 20 months in seawater, while plastic can persist for decades to a couple of centuries and sheds microplastics along the way. But paper is still single-use and many brands carry PFAS coatings, so it is a lesser evil rather than a clean win. A reusable straw beats both.

Do paper straws contain forever chemicals?

Often, yes. A 2023 study in Food Additives & Contaminants detected PFAS “forever chemicals” in most paper straws tested, at higher rates than in plastic straws. The coating that keeps paper from dissolving is the likely source, and PFAS do not biodegrade.

Why do paper straws get soggy?

Paper is porous, so liquid slowly works into the fibers and softens the straw. Heat and acidity speed it up, which is why paper struggles with hot coffee, citrus drinks, and anything you nurse for a while. Most start to lose structure within about 30 to 60 minutes.

How long does a plastic straw take to break down?

There is no exact number. Plastic straws are commonly said to take up to around 200 years, but NOAA emphasizes the real timeline is uncertain and depends on sunlight, temperature, and location. What is clear is that it fragments into long-lasting microplastics rather than truly disappearing.

Are paper straws recyclable or compostable?

Sometimes. Uncoated paper straws can be composted, but the food-safe or PFAS coatings that keep them intact often make them non-recyclable and slow to compost. Check your local program, and when in doubt, composting an uncoated straw is usually the better route.

What is the most eco-friendly straw?

A reusable one you will actually use, whether that is glass, stainless steel, or silicone. Reusables replace hundreds of disposables over their life, avoid single-use coatings and microplastics, and cost pennies per drink once you own them.

The bottom line

Paper beats plastic on how fast it disappears, but it is still a throwaway, and its coatings can carry their own baggage. Rather than agonizing over which disposable is slightly less bad, the simplest upgrade is to stop buying them. Grab a reusable you like the feel of, keep it where you will see it, and the whole debate quietly goes away. If you are ready to switch, start with our pick of an insulated tumbler with a built-in silicone straw and never think about soggy paper again.