Uses simple grass to make biodegradable straws. Her name is Tran Minh Tien and she lives in Vietnam. Man has invented a completely sustainable way to sip drinks and drinks without using harmful plastic straws, difficult to dispose of and very dangerous especially for marine fauna
Uses simple grass to make biodegradable straws. Her name is Tran Minh Tien and she lives in Vietnam. Man has invented a completely sustainable way to sip drinks and drinks without using harmful plastic straws, difficult to dispose of and very dangerous especially for marine fauna.
12,7 million tons of plastic end up in the sea every year. Even if there are many solutions in place, unfortunately the total elimination seems impossible in a short time. For this it is useful to evaluate natural and biodegradable alternatives.
Some companies are also replacing single-use products, including plastic straws, with paper or other materials.
But Tran Minh Tien has seen fit to use a type of herb known as "Lepironia articulata", very common in the Mekong Delta region. The man collects the empty grass stalks, washes them, cuts them up to 20 cm. Then he cleans up the inside with a rod before final cleaning and shipping.
The straws, distributed all over the world, are shipped in "packs" of 100 pieces, wrapped in banana leaves. But not only. Tran also sells dried straws, first laid out in the sun for a couple of days and then baked in the oven. The former last about two weeks in the refrigerator or a week at room temperature while the cooked ones can be used for up to six months, keeping them at room temperature.
Alternatively, you can buy fresh straws and to keep them for a long time, you can boil them with a little salt, then dry them and store them in a cool, dry place.
Although they were originally meant to be single use, you can wash, dry and reuse them until they deteriorate. Once used and reused, just throw them in the organic bin. They will decompose like any food waste.
"The grass grows naturally and the straws are not treated with chemicals or preservatives" explains man, according to which in addition to not altering the taste of drinks, they are rich in fiber and chewing them after eating helps to clean the teeth.
You can order straws on the website of Tran Ong Hut Co, which also provides advice on how to best use and store its environmentally friendly creations.
A decidedly less harmful alternative to their plastic cousins.
READ also:
- Plastic straws: 5 great reasons to never use them again
- It's definitive: Europe confirms the ban on disposable plastics by 2021
- Other than plastic! Here are the edible and biodegradable dishes with wheat bran
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