Will Plastic Straws Be Completely Replaced By Paper Straws?

 According to data previously released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the annual consumption of plastic straws in 2019 is nearly 30,000 tons, or about 46 billion. A large fence can be built around the equator of the earth. Judging from this data, the strongest “plastic restriction order” has pushed the degradable materials market into a broader space. Starting from January 1, 2021, the beverage industry responded to the national “plastic straw ban” and replaced it with paper straws. Paper straws are gradually replacing plastic straws, and the future development space is extremely considerable. So will plastic straws be completely replaced by paper straws?

With the implementation of the plastic restriction order, more and more catering-related brand companies have introduced paper straws instead of plastic straws in response to the implementation of the national plastic restriction order, but the effect is not ideal, and even some “stretch”. Hot searches about paper straws are also frequently on the list, generating a huge amount of discussion and attention.

Some consumers are not satisfied with the implementation of this measure. There are many specific reasons, such as affecting the real taste of the drink, deforming and softening after a long period of liquid immersion, residual paper scraps, etc., and also because of the material of the paper. If the lipstick It is more difficult to remove the marks left on it.

We can see that although paper straws are more environmentally friendly than plastic straws, they do not achieve the actual function of straws. So, will the unfriendly plastic straws really be replaced by the full rollout of paper straws?

1. What are the hazards of plastic straws?

Plastic is a kind of high molecular polymer, which is a compound that is assembled after some monomers are used as raw materials through some addition polycondensation reactions. At present, plastic straws are made by automatic plastic straw making machines.

The main component of plastic is resin. Because of the non-polarity of plastic, it cannot be dissolved in water, acid, alkali, etc., and its molecular structure is very stable, and it cannot be affected by external environments such as temperature, so this is the main reason why it cannot be degraded. Simply put, it is like a solid wall that is hard to collapse.

It affects and harms agriculture, biology, human body, etc. Take agriculture as an example. Due to the long-term accumulation of plastics, the land cannot digest plastics. Its existence will destroy the ecological chain of the land, thus affecting the environment in the land. The crops that grow out may even fail to grow, resulting in a continuous reduction in crop yields and affecting our ecological environment.

2. Why advocate the use of paper straws?

First of all, the biggest advantage of paper straws is that the big problem that plastic straws have not solved is degradation. Because the main component of paper straws is virgin paper, which can be recycled, the degradation time is generally about 3–4 months. Commercially, paper straws are mass-produced using paper straw machines.

So not only straws but paper alternatives can also be seen in other industries, all of which are designed to play an environmentally friendly role. In fact, it does have a certain role in promoting. And there are no harmful chemical ingredients, which is much safer.

3. Will paper straws completely replace plastic straws?

Although paper straws are environmentally friendly, there are also problems. The softness, residue, and impact on taste mentioned by many consumers are all caused by the heat-labile nature of the paper, which is also one of the difficulties faced by paper straws.

Because it is inevitable that there will be hot drinks in restaurants, and the time required for people to drink is often uncertain, paper products cannot be immersed in liquid for a long time.

And many ingredients are often added to milk tea, such as pearls, burnt grass jelly, taro paste, etc. Paper straws cannot guarantee the integrity of the taste of these ingredients during the inhalation process.

Obviously, there are still many problems with the paper straws currently manufactured, but it is obviously not feasible to use all plastic. In the future production of straws, we still need to explore and create, such as research on the degradation of plastics. A small number of industries have launched degradable plastic straws, but it will take a practical process to implement them nationwide, including from production, launch, to overall feedback and so on.

For us personally, it is also very important to reduce the use of straws in our daily life. If it is a pure liquid, we can stop using it without using straws. Try to refuse this kind of disposable product. Although such a move is small, it does not mean that it is a dispensable thing, at least it is something we can do within our capacity, and it is also a very meaningful thing.

Many people think that it doesn’t matter whether you use a straw or not. Small straws can’t cause major environmental pollution, but it’s because everyone has such an irresponsible attitude that has nothing to do with me that there will be more and more waste. Resource behavior occurs.

It is not only when the problem has already happened around you that you know how to stop, reduce, and eliminate it. At that time, it is really too late.