Whenever my family eats out and we are automatically offered plastic straws for our drinks, we tell the server we do not need them and to take them back. With what we know about plastic straws—they are non-biodegradable and take hundreds of years to decompose and break down into microplastics—you would think they would no longer be used…but no. They are still all too common in hospitality.
Numerous hotel companies have pledged to stop buying plastic straws. Six years ago, Marriott phased them out. Five years ago, Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. eliminated single-use straws from its branded properties as part of its continued effort to reduce its overall environmental footprint. A year earlier, Wyndham Destinations announced it would eliminate plastic straws from food and beverage operations at its timeshare resorts around the world.
Do a search on “straws” on Green Lodging News and you will find many other examples of companies phasing out/eliminating plastic straws.
To address the plastic straw problem, you can either adopt a “no straw” policy, offer them only on request, or replace the plastic versions with ones made from alternative materials (and offer those only upon request). I have come across many examples of plastic alternatives over the years. I most recently heard from Corn Next in regard to its flavored straws made from Corn Next-17, a fully biodegradable, starch-based solution that breaks down in weeks without microplastics. The following are some other plastic straw alternatives to check out:
phade—straws made from PHA, a material derived from canola oil
LOLIWARE—straws made from seaweed
Stroodles—straws made from pasta
BOSS Straws—recyclable and compostable paper straws
HAY! Straws—straws made from hay or straw
YesStraws—straws made from cane and wheat stems
Greenprint—straws made from agave
In hospitality, reusable straws made from silicon or glass, widely available, do not make as much sense but for at-home use or on the go travel they do.
Twelve years ago, I wrote about the efforts of 11-year-old Milo Cress and his Be Straw Free Campaign. (See related CNN video.) I will never forget that interview. Our world can still use many others like him.
