Paper, steel or compostable plastic? We asked kids to test the most common types of reusable straws. The kids had a lot to say, showcasing just how complicated it is to make truly sustainable products in a world where plastic has long ruled.

The environmental impact of single-use plastic straws compared to their alternatives is complex and not always straightforward. While glass, stainless steel, bamboo, paper, pasta, and biodegradable plastics are marketed as eco-friendly, each material presents unique challenges, including resource extraction, manufacturing energy, and disposal issues.

Experts note that reusable options like glass and metal require significant energy to produce and maintain, while biodegradable alternatives often need industrial composting to break down effectively. Surprisingly, single-use plastic straws have a low energy input in production, making them less environmentally damaging in some respects, though they are still harmful overall. The consensus is that the most sustainable choice is to avoid using straws altogether.

Single use plastic is bad, but how good are the alternatives?

We have seven straws here. One is best for the environment. Can you guess which one? The straw. Just one of hundreds of plastic items that we use that companies say they've now made eco-friendly. Or have they? The science behind it is all pretty complicated, and politicians love that. The environmental impact of plastic straws versus paper straws is entirely unclear. So we invited the most honest and impartial straw experts to CNN. Now we're on TV. This is your dream come true. To test the most common types. Keep it appropriate, okay? And pick their favorite, and see how closely it matches the one scientists think is the least harmful for the planet. You guys have the stamina? We do. Let's all start with the glass. What do you think about it? That felt satisfying to put in. Well, I already bumped my tooth, so. Glass straws are reusable and could last a long time. It wouldn't be a straw that I would use all the time. I might use it a few times, but not all the time. But glass straws have a big problem, and it's similar to the issue posed in our next test. Stainless steel. I like the feeling of the cold metal in my mouth. I think I tasted a different flavor. Yeah, like the first sip, it tastes almost kind of like different, but as you keep drinking it, it tastes like water. Here's our professional straw expert. The kids will hear from him after their final vote. The pros for the metal straws are obviously it lasts a long time. Cons come in the raw material extraction to the energy needed to produce that metal. If you're washing that straw every day, that takes water, that takes soap, et cetera, and all of that requires energy, and that adds up. So stainless steel straws are really only sustainable if you maybe don't wash them and you use them thousands of times. Let's try the bamboo. This tastes like bamboo. Yeah, it does, and that's what I thought too. But what do you think? Bamboo is a tree, and you're using it in your drinks? You're telling me now that there's a bamboo tree growing inside of me? It's not just as simple as looking at, hey, where do I throw the straw away? Do I recycle it, or does it become litter? There really is this whole life cycle that has to get considered. Bamboo itself is a pretty sustainable material with regards to water usage, but you still have to grow those plants, and then you have to manufacture them into the straw, and that also requires a lot of energy. Many straws are meant to be biodegradable or composted, like paper or pasta. Very classy. What happened to the pasta straw? I tried to eat it. And this one is made from a biodegradable plant-based plastic called PLA. I don't want it to turn back into a plant in my drink. For this to happen, biodegradable plastics often require industrial composting. Nearly 60% of this type of plastic, like the straw we tested, won't fully break down in home compost, according to a UK study in Frontiers. Consensus was impossible. So you guys eliminated the bamboo and the paper. We should eliminate the pasta too. Jack liked the pasta straw, and Delaina preferred the biodegradable plastic. Maybe. Wait, you eliminated a plastic? Wait, what? Yeah. So far and away, the number one option for a consumer should be to not use a straw at all. That would be the most sustainable option. When I started to research this topic, the most surprising thing to me was that single-use plastics were the most environmentally friendly option. That scares me. Science shows that they are bad for the environment. The real question is, are the alternatives also bad for the environment, or maybe even worse for the environment? To make plastic straws, there's just a really low energy input to do that. We're just really good, unfortunately, at the society of making plastic. It's kind of shocking that it's the one that's best for the environment. What if they made plastic straws, but maybe they just made them somehow stronger? I'm a little more confused. Yeah, I think I'm a little more confused. If we can't get it right with something as simple as a straw, what about bigger things in the world?

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