How To Treat The Paper Straws Quietly Launched in The Catering Industry?

While plastic straws were kicked off the stage, it was the advent of the era of paper straws. Many media reported that this straw renewal and iteration movement is in full swing across the country, and restaurants large and small have responded to the call and proactively replaced environmental straws to contribute to environmental protection.

However, behind the popularity and popularity of paper straws, there have always been different voices.

Since 2018, there have been voices of doubt. Questioners pointed out that there is pollution in the production process of paper straws, the production cost is higher, it is difficult to recycle, and the degradation time is not ideal.

As ordinary people, how should we treat the strong attack of paper straws? Is the paper straw really an "IQ tax"?

The world trend of "bye bye, plastic straws"

In fact, the strictness of the "plastic restriction order" implemented by my country for the production, use and sales of plastic products is at the forefront of the world.

In terms of plastic straws, there are reports that since 2018, McDonald's, Starbucks and other catering companies have begun environmental protection actions to replace plastic straws. The action is generally carried out in European and American countries, and the cause is the petition of the people to "limit plastic." As far as alternatives are concerned, the two companies mainly adopt paper straws and cup lids without straws. It can be said that the replacement of plastic straws in my country is in response to this international environmental protection trend.

But like the experience faced in China, this alternative activity has also encountered considerable skepticism in the international arena. Reports have pointed out that McDonald’s paper straws cannot be recycled, but are only treated as “general garbage”.

Regarding the fact that paper straws are not recyclable, American paper straw company Aardvark Straws said that treating them as "general garbage" will not affect the environmental protection of paper straws. Because no matter where the paper straw is placed, it will degrade naturally. And their test found that the degradation time of paper straws in the yard is 6 months, and the degradation time in the ocean is 2 years. Therefore, from the perspective of degradation time, paper straws are of course environmentally friendly.

But the problem is more complicated than the apparent "paper vs plastic" dispute. The inner side of the paper straw is covered with a film, which has become the focus of the doubters' comments on "changing soup without changing medicine". Because this thin layer of film is the reason why paper straws are difficult to recycle.