Indeed, very annoying that the article never says what the actual number is. From the NYT fact check version, which (based on the dates) seems to be the origin

Indeed, very annoying that the article never says what the actual number is. From the NYT fact check version, which (based on the dates) seems to be the original source:[1] Fact check: The claim that 500 million straws are used by Americans is an estimate above the ranges of more rigorous studies. Market research firms put the figure between 170 million and 390 million per day, or 63 billion to 142 billion straws per year. One market research firm, Freedonia Group, determined that the nation used about 390 million straws a day last year. Another, Technomic, puts the number closer to 170 million, though that count excludes some types of straws. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/19/business/plastic-straws-ban-fact-check-nyt.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/19/business/plastic-straws-b... Mirror: https://archive.is/RAWUd https://archive.is/RAWUd