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How many straws do you think a person uses throughout his life?
How many straws do you think a person uses throughout his life?
According to international figures, a person can consume up to 40,000 straws in a year. Taking into consideration that the average time of use is 20 to 30 minutes and the time it takes to degrade is 100 years; We find the cost of using these products to be very high; and let's clarify that the cost we are talking about is not economic, but environmental.
According to the WWF, straws are among the 10 plastics that most pollute our coasts and bodies of water, becoming a problem for the ecosystems that surround us.
With the intention of raising awareness and achieving change, a few years ago, bans on the use of straws began in different countries. With the previous restriction, more options arose, they began to manufacture and promote the consumption of hard plastic, silicone, stainless steel straws; straws made from avocado seed,
bamboo, cornstarch, etc. this seemed to be a good option as some of them could be reused and others degraded after a few minutes.
If you compared the options, "it seemed" reusable straws made of plastic were still the best option. Its price was below the others, you could wash them, thereby reusing them; their wear was less, they had more designs and colors. They looked quite attractive and everything seemed quite promising; but you have to look in more detail.
How recommended are hard plastic/silicone straws?
The main problem remains the raw material with which they are made; Although it is true that it is very cheap, it still uses many harmful resources for its manufacture. To the above we must add the issue of micro-waste that they generate when they are degrading. What do we mean by this? It is a very simple subject; In the end, everything in this life ends up degrading, the point is the time it takes to do it and the damage it generates in what is degraded. Plastics in particular; depending on the type to which they belong, they degrade into smaller pieces, which are no longer perceptible to the eye; however, they are still there and end up being ingested directly by us and/or by the animals we consume, so hard and/or flexible plastic straws are not the best option.
What do we know about the other straw options that we find on the market?
Bamboo straws, taking Indonesian straws as a reference, we briefly explain their manufacturing process:
1. They are given the required shape and preserved in salt
2. They are boiled with betel leaves
3. Vinegar is applied to keep their shine
These straws are reusable and at the end of their cycle they can be composted without any problem, since they do not take more than 3 months to decompose.
Avocado seed straws & Corn starch straws, this type of straw is also made with organic matter, therefore its degradation time is shorter, ranging from 90 to 240 days. Its manufacture can be included in the following points:
1.Crushed
2.Mixture of ingredients to achieve an emulsion
3.Casting and molding
These straws are not reusable but at the end of their cycle they can be composted.
Paper/cardboard straws, most of these straws are made from paper pulp. Being merely made of paper, its functionality time is relatively short since, due to being in contact with liquids, they begin to lose their shape. There are brands that add polyethylene to this type of straw to make them more durable (it should be clarified that polyethylene is a type of plastic).
Its degradation time in the case of straws without polyethylene is equivalent to that of paper or cardboard, as the case may be, remember that cardboard is thicker than paper, so it requires a little more time. However, the decomposition time of products with polyethylene is much longer.
Stainless steel straws, this type of straw has the ability to share the same temperature of the liquid that is drunk, does not transfer strange flavors to the drink and has a higher resistance than any other that we have talked about. However, its manufacture wreaks havoc on the environment, in addition to the fact that lately it has been considered dangerous.
Its manufacturing process is quite long, which means that the energy resources and the raw material used are superior to those used by any other straw:
1.Selection of alloys and minerals
2.Casting and molding
3. Lamination
4.Casting and molding
f it is in its original color, stainless steel can last up to 60 years; if it is painted, its color can last 3 years and then due to wear and tear it will return to its original color.
Which is the best option?
The best option is not to use straws, the manufacture of these products, as well as many others, requires the use of other raw materials, including processes that have an impact on the environment. The use of straws can be omitted without further complication, join the movement and say NO TO STRAWS.
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