I just amused myself for 10 minutes by reading the reviews for the Lamzac on Amazon. The Lamzac appears to be a non-durable product that is difficult to inflate. I guess that's what one gets when one combines a Shark Tank-like genesis with Chinese manufacturing knowhow.
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Bought one for my kids a few years back. Never could master how to easily fill it with enough air. Its in the garage gathering dust.
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I don't mean to be a downer, but: When I hear about a ban on plastic straws, my mind jumps to the proliferation of cheap, apparently disposable furniture, inflatable outdoor beach couches (which must certainly get trashed as soon as they acquire the inevitable hole), not to mention K-cups, single-use umbrella bags at retail stores and corporate headquarters, and all the rest of it. But by all means, ban little plastic drinking straws. I’m sure little kids really appreciate that we all have to make sacrifices.
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@eric the author states in the article, "It’s made with ripstop nylon, famously used for parachutes."
So I wouldn't necessarily lump this into your list of disposable, cheap items. Ripstop nylon is pretty tough stuff.
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@sam still shreds and finds its way into the watersheds and landfills and takes an extremely long time to break down. The toughness of the material might make even make more dangerous to wildlife.
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@sam ripstop nylon is not puncture proof. If it gets a hole in it then the weave of the fabric prevents it from ripping (hence the name ripstop). This is commonly used in parachutes or certain sails. You can put a piece of tape over the hole and it should last longer. Doesn't mean people will do that ... they might just throw it away.
While I agree that ripstop nylon is potentially longer lasting than a trash bag filled with air I do think the overall adoption of stupid stuff like this which we don't actually need is our biggest environmental problem. Remember the "reduce, reuse, recycle" adage starts with reduce. I don't think I would be any less happy on that beach watching the sunset just sitting on the sand or on my beach blanket that I've had for 20 years.
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