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THE HUMBLE STRAW

The air does
the lifting.

Sipping through a straw feels like pulling.

A tall glass of iced lemonade with a striped paper straw on a sunny café table, condensation on the glass and a blurred street behind — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

In fact you only lower the air pressure inside it, and the weight of the air on the drink pushes it up. Since October 2020, England has also changed who can hand you a plastic one.

≈ 10 mthe tallest straw

Who can give one

Keep in mind

Air pushes, you don't pull
Ask, don't expect
Reuse where you can
A small tube, explained

THE SHORT ANSWER

Lower the pressure,
the drink rises.

The physics is the same for every straw.
The rules on plastic ones changed in 2020.

PHYSICS

Air pushes it up

Sucking lowers the air pressure inside the straw, so the greater air pressure on the drink pushes it up the tube.

See the numbers

THE RULES

Only on request

In England, cafés and pubs can still give a single-use plastic straw, but only if you ask, and must keep them out of sight.

Who can give one

ALTERNATIVES

Reuse or paper

Government guidance points to reusable silicone straws and similar, or single-use items made of other materials such as paper.

Everyday options

A QUICK RULES CHECK

Can they hand you
a plastic straw?

Pick a place to see what England's rules say about single-use plastic straws there. The bar shows how freely a plastic straw can be supplied.

Rules check

Choose a placeA juice cartonA café or pubA pharmacyA care home or school

A juice cartonBanned

Drink products or cartons with an attached plastic straw are banned from supply in England.

A café or pubIf you ask

Straws must be kept where customers cannot see or take them, not offered, and only given to customers who request one.

A pharmacyIf you ask

Registered pharmacies can supply them but must not display them or advertise them in store, and only give them on request.

A care home or schoolAllowed

Care homes, schools, early years providers and prisons are exempt, as are straws used as medical devices or for medical purposes.

Source: Defra, Single-use plastics bans and restrictions (GOV.UK guidance, last updated 7 October 2024), and the 2020 England Regulations on plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers.

Summarised from Defra's guidance for businesses, which applies to England only. This is general information, not legal advice.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

A long tube,
a lot of tubes.

One figure from physics,
one from the government's estimate of straw use.

≈ 10 m

Tallest straw you could drink water through

Even with a perfect vacuum, normal air pressure of about 1 bar can only push a column of water up about 10 metres. Above that, it stops, however hard you suck.

THE LIMIT · PHYSICS

4.7 billion

Plastic straws used in England each year

The government estimated, with figures credited to the Marine Conservation Society, that England used 4.7 billion plastic straws and 316 million plastic stirrers a year.

BEFORE THE RULES · DEFRA

The supply restrictions on plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds came into force in England on 1 October 2020.

FOUR THINGS TO KNOW

Sip smarter,
waste less.

Most drinks need no straw at all. When one helps, there are choices, and some people still need plastic ones.

A few reusable metal and silicone straws with a small cleaning brush laid on a linen cloth beside a glass jar — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Step 1

Ask if you need one

In England a café or pub can give you a plastic straw, but only when you ask for it.

Step 2

Respect the exemption

Government says disabled people and those with medical conditions can request plastic straws in pubs and restaurants and buy them from pharmacies.

Step 3

Carry a reusable straw

Guidance names reusable silicone straws with a travel case. Reusable means designed to be used safely many times.

Step 4

Know paper still counts

Paper straws are single-use too. The rules allow them because they are not plastic, and plastic-lined ones are still restricted.

A SHORT HISTORY

From reeds
to rules.

Close-up of a clear glass of water with a straw, the water level slightly higher inside the straw, lit by side light against a pale background — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

National Geographic reports that ancient Sumerians, among the first known beer brewers about 5,000 years ago, drank through long tubes to reach below the brewing residue. Later, rye grass stalks were used as straws.

The first patent for a drinking straw was filed in the United States in 1888, for a paper design. Bendable straws followed in the 1930s, and plastic straws spread through the 1960s as plastic became cheap.

Questions

Questions on the way

Do I suck the drink up a straw?

Not quite. Sucking lowers the air pressure inside the straw. The higher air pressure pressing on the surface of the drink then pushes it up the straw.

Is there a limit to how long a straw can be?

Yes. With water and normal air pressure, even a perfect vacuum in the straw only lifts the water about 10 metres. That limit comes from air pressure, not mouth strength.

Are plastic straws banned in England?

Supply is restricted rather than totally banned. Cafés, pubs and pharmacies may only hand them over on request, and some places such as care homes and schools are exempt. Cartons with attached plastic straws are banned.

Are biodegradable plastic straws allowed?

No. The guidance says the restrictions cover all single-use plastic, including biodegradable, compostable and recycled plastic, and items with a plastic coating or lining.

Why were the rules brought in?

The government said it wanted to cut single-use plastic waste and protect marine wildlife, estimating England used 4.7 billion plastic straws a year.

Destination

Where the facts come from

Updated 16 October 2026

The air doesthe lifting.

Lower the pressure,the drink rises.