The hospitality sector have voluntarily been reducing the availability of plastic straws for some time, but from today a ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in England comes into force.
The ban, which was originally due to start in April, makes it illegal for businesses to sell or provide these plastic items with an exemption for people with disabilities or medical conditions that require them.
It’s estimated that 4.7 billion plastic straws and 316 million plastic stirrers are used each year in England, so the ban has been welcomes by environmentalists, who have fought to raise awareness of the amount of unnecessary plastic washing up in our oceans.
While plastic straws are a significant culprit, they’re also easy to replace with environmentally-friendly alternatives, and we can all help make the switch.
6 environmentally-friendly straws
Here are some alternative to the humble plastic straw.
1. Glass
Glass straws are great because they’re sturdy and last a long time. Strawesome have developed glass straws, complete with intricate designs, and special pouches so you can carry yours around without breaking it. We also love this 6 pack of glass straws, available on Amazon.
2. Wheat
Wheat straws (available on Amazon) are non-toxic, chemical-free, biodegradable and compostable straws made out of wheat (and no, they don’t taste like cereal). The straws are single-use, but with so many environmentally-friendly ways to dispose of these straws does it really matter? There’s no hassle of cleaning them between uses, just pop a few in your bag and you’re good to go!
3. Metal
Metal straws are strong, durable and environmentally-friendly. We like these ones that come with silicone covers (available on Amazon). Assign everyone a colour so there’s never any confusion about whose straw is whose.
4. Bamboo
Bamboo straws are minimalistic and chic. The Panda Stix bamboo straws (available on Amazon) have the extra draw of being dishwasher safe so they’re easy to clean.
5. Paper
The environmentally-friendly straws of choice: They might go a little bit soggy in your pint of coke if submerged for too long, but paper straws do have the edge when it comes to pretty designs. Whether you want classic stripes, multicoloured chevrons or pineapples – you name it, you’ll find a matching biodegradable paper straw design somewhere on the internet. We like these subtle brown paper straws (available on Amazon).
6. Edible straws
Natural and Noble’s edible straws, made from corn starch, are gluten free and produce no waste. They come in different flavours and are great for kids parties or gifts. We love this mixed pack which contains four different flavours – strawberry, chocolate, lemon and lime (available on Amazon).
If all else fails, it’s not exactly a bother to just drink straight from your glass anyway. Drink up.
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