They probably discovered that their staws were getting used by the welcomed homeless. Until we start incinerating plastic, we will continue to find plastic washing up on our shores. Mostly the rich areas have recycling centers. All other garbage gets dumped into land fills or the recycled plastic gets shipped to ....wait for it....CHINA. It then gets dumped into land fills or rivers which feed into the ocean which comes back to the US shores. Incinerate is the best solution.
Oh yea, Starbucks is getting rid of the straws but the earth is laced with those freaking green plastic sticks!
Burning plastics are unpleasant at best, polluting at worst. Hate to say it, but the eviroweenies are right once in a while.