How long does it take for you to finish a milk shake or juice? 5 minutes? Less? Well, the plastic straw that you used for that drink will last, undegraded, in the environment, for up to 500 years! And whilst it's floating around in the water ways, it's potentially killing marine life. Not feeling so great now?
In this video, I look at a potential viable alternative to the plastic straw. I've tried plastic straws in the past, and they are not a nice experience. They break when you're using it, and you end up with a mouth full of paper. Not nice. Metal straws are a definite option, but at this point, are still less than perfect. For one thing, you need to remember to bring it with you. And how do you keep it clean before use, and how do you get it home to clean without having whatever you drank with the straw, all over your bag? If you're putting the metal straw in a plastic bag to take home, that kinda is defeating the purpose of not using plastic, isn't it? And did we forget that most of the time, the cup that the drink comes in, is not biodegradable either?
At least it's a start. Metal straws are not particularly expensive (although the counter argument is that plastic straws are completely free, cost-wise), and totally reusable many times. But will you remember to take it with you? Do you think that this is a concept that will get mainstream support, or will it fail?
I'd love to hear your opinion.
Until next time,
D