June 2017 found my family and me at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for the first time. If you’ve never been, go- it’s one of my favorite places in the world. My passion for conservation started at a young age (thank you, Steve Irwin) and has only grown as I’ve gotten older. Naturally, I was drawn to one of the feeding-time talks in the African penguin exhibit. I learned that these penguins are endangered. After the presentation, I hung back to talk to one of the staff members.
“What can I do to help?”
Without hesitation, she introduced me to the plastic straw problem that has since blown up all over the internet and inspired Starbucks and California to limit straw availability. Later that day I bought my first set of stainless steel straws in the aquarium gift shop.
I love these straws. They’re easy to clean with warm, soapy water and the brush included. It’s worth noting (even if rather obvious) that the straw will become the temperature of the drink, which some people like (me!) and others do not. My one complaint is that this set didn’t come with anything to carry them around in.
When it came time to buy my friend (who is equally motivated to be more eco-friendly) a birthday present, I ordered her stainless steel straws that came with brushes AND a cloth/felt carrying case. Bonus: it came with a smoothie straw (the larger diameter makes it easier to consume thicker beverages).
To carry around my own straws I raided my bathroom drawer. Back in the day my orthodontist would send me home with floss and whatnot in a toothbrush-sized plastic pouch. The materials had disappeared long ago, but the pouches were still in my bathroom. Now they carry my clean straws for when I eat out.
Types of Straws
Single-use plastic straws are being phased out because they are neither recyclable nor biodegradable. After their few minutes of use they end up (best case scenario) in the landfill or (worst case scenario) polluting streets, waterways, and other ecosystems.
Paper straws are cute, relatively cheap, and biodegradable. Used paper straws are NOT recyclable, so do not throw them in the recycling bin. They are, however, great for parties but after some time soak up the drink they are in and become useless. Again, to state the obvious, they also taste like paper. I got used to the texture quickly but others are less inclined to use them for this reason.
Stainless steel straws don’t rust, scratch, or break. They seem (to me) to last forever, but should they need to be disposed of, can usually be recycled (check your local recycling programs to see which materials they will take). This kind of metal, unlike plastic, can be recycled endlessly without losing quality. Despite this, it’s worth noting that the metal has to be mined from somewhere, which causes significant ecological damage. In the future I’ll buy reusable straws with a different material unless it’s explicitly 100% recycled metal.
Other alternatives include glass, silicone, and bamboo. I have not yet tried these but I plan to someday.
Glass, like metal, can be endlessly recycled without decreasing quality at the end of the straw’s productive lifespan. Additionally it’s made from sand, which is a lot less problematic to procure.
The silicon used to make silicone is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, making it relatively easy to come by (think sand, quartz, and clay). Unfortunately, petroleum or natural gas is commonly (although not exclusively!) used to make the silicone. Even so, it’s a better alternative than plastic (which also uses petroleum). At the end of its lifetime there are a few options. Companies such as TerraCycle and ECO-lunchbox will recycle them, although most local recycling programs will not. If sending them in is cost prohibitive, you can burn the silicone and it decomposes into silica, carbon dioxide, and water which are non-toxic and pretty harmless.
Bamboo is particularly desirable because it’s the least problematic to get the materials for and at the end of it’s lifespan as a straw is biodegradable. I think my next reusable straw purchase will be bamboo, at which point I will update this post with what I think of it.
Thank you so much for reading! Please comment below- I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Go Forth and Greenify 