Plastic straws are the epitome of our throw-away culture. Of all the types of plastic trash we could regulate, there are a few smart reasons to target straws specifically. First, they’re pretty easy to do without—a low-hanging fruit in the vast battle against plastic disposables. Second, unlike many other single-use items, it’s essentially impossible to recycle straws, what’s recyclable has a lot to do with whether a market exists to resell a given material. Third, there are a lot of them. Some estimates say hundreds of millions of straws are tossed each day in the United States alone.

To make sure you’re doing your part, follow the gold standard in the fight against plastic waste: Use less. On most occasions, you can enjoy your beverage just fine without using a straw at all. If you prefer drinking certain beverages through a straw (smoothies or iced coffee, for example)—buy a few reusable metal or bamboo straws, which can later be recycled or composted. Keep these on hand in your bag, or stow them in your kitchen, workplace, and car.

A couple different varieties of reusable straws that I found at my local grocery store.