With the help of social media, awareness of global issues and plans of becoming more sustainable has been on a rise around the world.
Furthermore, images of wild animals being threatened have been making rounds on Facebook for a while now.
According to National Geographic in 2018, “700 species of marine animals have been reported—so far—to have eaten or become entangled in plastic.”
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In line with plans to be more environmentally friendly, brands have started to roll out plans to incorporate biodegradable materials and reduce their use of plastic.
For example, KFC Singapore was the first company to make a bold move in removing the provision of straws and plastic covers. While the fast food operator received negative feedback from some, they were praised by many others and they’ve stayed true to this initiative since 20 June 2018 according to Channel NewsAsia.
Environmental Friendly Straws
In the past year or so, there’s been an increase in variations of reusable straws such as metal straws.
Edible straws made of rice and tapioca have been invented by Penang-based company – Nlytech Biotech Sdn Bhd.
Then, a Vietnamese man by the name of Tran Minh Tien comes in with his grass straws.
Yes, grass, not glass.
Grass Straws
Similar to rice straws, there is now another unconventional type of straw made entirely from natural sources – grass straws.
Tran Minh Tien has been making a living from selling products made of natural materials but he was recently in the spotlight globally for coming up with a revolutionary idea – making straws from the grass.
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The grass is greener when it becomes a straw
A Vietnamese youth is making biodegradable straws with grass that grows wild in the Mekong Delta. https://bit.ly/2I1nF0T
Posted by VnExpress International on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
VnExpress International posted a video on Facebook showcasing the grass straws and a look at how these life-changing products are made.
Also mentioned in the video is the type of grass used – sedge, a wetland grass with a hollow stem which grows wild in fields of the Mekong Delta.
Since its upload, the video has amassed 2.3 million views.
These biodegradable straws come in 2 options – fresh and dried.
According to Tran, the owner of the warehouse in Vietnam, the straws are made through a process of about 6 steps. This includes collection, washing, cutting into 20cm tubes, cleaning with an iron rod, rinsing and finally they are wrapped in banana leaves. For the dried straws, an extra step is required; they are sun-dried for 2 to 3 days before they being baked in the oven.
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The fresh and dried straws can be kept in the fridge for up to 10 days and at room temperature for up to 6 months respectively, as mentioned by Ống hút cỏ.
Who knows, it may be a matter of time before your bubble tea straws are replaced with these naturally made ones. This means you can now enjoy your sweet treat guilt-free without the hassle of washing metal straws!
Wait, did someone said that bubble teas aren’t using metal straws yet?
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