Single-use plastic straws are a genuine environmental nightmare. In fact, they will be forbidden by the European Union from 2021. To keep on sipping your favourite drinks without waste and still enjoy using straws like we did as kids, here are 4 plant-based and eco-friendly alternatives.
Straws... made of straw
Straw stalks were used before industrial paper and plastic straws came to be! Several manufacturers are even bringing them back with natural wheat or rye straws which are easily recycled. They can be used with both warm and cold beverages and do not turn soft in contact with liquids
Bamboo or reed straws
Bamboo is all the rage. If it cannot turn into curved or foldable straws, it is re-usable, solid and waste-less with a nice look. Wood being very resistant, it is adapted to both cold and warm beverages to which it does not add any taste. In the same vein, reed straws are also compostable.
Cane sugar straws
Made from cane sugar fibbers – a great example of re-purposing agricultural waste –, they are compostable and biodegradable, and resist well to temperatures up to 50°C. Cherry on the cake: they decompose and partially turn into amino acids feeding the soils! Thus, hitting two ecological points with one stone!
Ziti or hollow spaghetti
Indeed! No need to look very far: the solution is often at the supermarket… or the Italian deli! Long, round and hollow, ziti – typical of South Italy – are ideal to replace plastic straws in a cold drink. Sufficiently solid and thick not to melt into it, they are not only eco-friendly but also economical. Use them in a Spritz to stay in the Italian spirit.