The Last Straw: 10 Alternatives To Plastic Straws Used Around The World

It’s estimated that Americans use more than 500 million straws every day and that there are as many as 8.3 billion plastic straws polluting the world's beaches. As straws are familiar to nearly every person on the planet, it should come as no surprise that they have attracted significant attention from the populous and legislative bodies.

Fortunately, sustainable packaging options and product replacements such as palm leaf plates, bamboo cutlery, edible water blobs, and bamboo wrapping are incrementally gaining traction, and staws are not safe from replacement.

If you’re interested in a few alternatives, here are a few examples…

1. Papaya leaf stem straws

2. Bamboo straws

3. Silicon straws

4. Agave straws

5. Metal straws

6. Portable and collapsible metal straws

7. Biodegradable paper straws

8. Dry pasta noodles straws

9. Seaweed based straws

10. And yes, hay straw straws

- Adam

PS: Straws are just the tip of the proverbial plastic iceberg in the ocean. It’s been reported that while eight million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, straws only comprise 0.025% of the total amount.