Eight million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year, among them the plastic straw. This small, single-use plastic object pollutes the environment considerably. Because plastic does not degrade, straws break up into a multitude of tiny plastic balls that end up in the bellies of marine animals. Remember this 2015 video featuring scientists trying to relieve and save a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostrils? The consequences of this pollution are catastrophic.
Today, single-use plastic cutlery is banned. Many companies have therefore followed suit and relied on innovation, the renewable and the biodegradable. Thus were born the bamboo straws. Find out why you should adopt them on sunny days!
Les pailles dès 1930
In the 1930s, straws were already accompanying drinking fountains. In an article in National Geographic The War on Straws: the fight to rid the oceans of plastic , it is written "there are no global usage figures, but according to the National Park Service (the U.S. national agency that manages national parks in the federal domain), Americans alone are estimated to use nearly 500 million straws a day." This underscores the importance of the issue of plastic straws and their impact on the environment.
La paille : de l'objet inutile à l'objet des désirs
In itself, it is true, the straw is of little use to people with medical conditions that prevent them from drinking directly from a glass or eating with a spoon.
A few years ago, you had to go to a bar to get a straw. That's how the image of the straw as a symbol of good times with friends, terrace parties and summer moods became part of the collective imagination.
Of course, the idea of eradicating straw from the face of the earth is not the solution. We can very well keep the pleasure of enjoying a cool lemonade, a water mint, a diobolo grenadine, a fruit juice or a mojito while sipping from a straw without harming the planet. For this, bamboo straws offer a great alternative.
Pourquoi le bambou ?
People who question the wisdom of having to cut down trees to make straws is legitimate. When we know that deforestation is growing every day involving the destruction of ecosystem, why then bet on the bamboo?
Bamboo is a very fast growing cane. As soon as it is cut, it grows back. Its roots disperse at a glance enlarging ever more bamboo groves.
And little more, once used, it can be thrown in the compost!
Des pailles en bambou meilleures pour la santé
The deleterious effects of plastic components for health is recognized: they disrupt the functioning of the endocrine glands (thyroid, gonads, adrenals ...) By putting a plastic straw in the mouth you swallow microparticles toxic to your body. With bamboo, if it is of course untreated, you risk nothing. The very little ones who like to drink through a straw will thus be protected from the evils of plastic.
Des pailles en bambou, en marche vers le réutilisable
Plastic strawsare often single-use. Consumers drink their beverages and then put the whole thing in the trash (at best). Astronomical amounts of straws are thus used every day around the world. By banking onbamboo straws, you can clean them and then reuse them. Although they represent a budget to purchase, they last over time. They are an investment for the pleasure of sharing good times in summer alone or with your friends!
Les objections …
"Straws are useless! "
"The best waste is the one we don't produce! "
Yes, it's true. However, isn't it nice to have a good "futile" time while having a conscience for the future of the planet? Everyone can act at their level and according to their priorities and if buying bamboo straws allows you to continue your habits while minimizing your impact on the environment, then why deprive yourself?