What is alternatives to plastic straws ?

What about the advantages of alternatives to plastic straws ?

1. Paper straws

Paper straws are currently recognized by the public as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic straws, so the durability of paper straws has received widespread attention. The paper straw can be completely degraded by microorganisms in nature, and finally produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), which will directly enter the soil and become organic matter to be absorbed by plants. But consumers in the current society have an ambiguous attitude towards paper straws and plastic straws.

But consumers in the current society have an ambiguous attitude towards paper straws and plastic straws.

In the current consumer straws market, paper straws make consumers feel dissatisfied in terms of taste, material, smell and water resistance. However, because paper straws have more “degradable” properties than plastic straws, consumers continue to use them even if they are dissatisfied with paper straws. And because plastic straws are in line with consumers’ usual experience habits, many consumers are more inclined to use plastic straws.

Consumers generally report that paper straws tend to become soft which means you have to finish drinking as soon as possible, and some paper straws still have an unpleasant taste. Even after soaking for a long time, paper scraps will be mixed with bubble tea, which directly affects the taste of the drink. There is no doubt that compared to plastic straws, paper straws will reduce the customer’s drinking experience.

2. PLA Straws

Consumers hope that there are good alternative products that can protect the consumer’s experience while being environmentally friendly.

Therefore, producers provide another improved paper straw – PLA straws. PLA is polylactic acid, which is a renewable biodegradable material made of plant starch raw materials. It can process with paper to form a variety of PLA straws with good performance and biodegradability. So PLA straws can be completely degraded, ultimately decomposing into water and carbon dioxide, and is very friendly to the natural environment.

As the best alternative to plastic straws, PLA straws are closer to plastic straws than paper straws in terms of drink experience. However, due to problems such as high cost, unstable materials, and short service life, it has not become the choice of most merchants.

Is paper straw cheaper than plastic? What is the cost for PLA straw?

Compared with traditional plastic straws, the cost of paper straws and PLA straws are more higher. Based on the cost from straw manufacturers in China, below form can help you to understand the cost and other diffrence between plastic straw and alternatives.

Size: 197*6mm	Bamboo powder	Starch	PLA	Glue paper straw	Glue free paper straw	Plastic
Biodegradable	√	√	√	√	√
Never moldy	√	√	√		√	√
High temperature resistance	√	√			√
Resistance to bite	√					√
Cost	0.006	0.006	0.006	0.003	0.0035	0.0005

Compared to plastic straws, the cost of paper straw is approximately 6 times, while the cost of the PLA straw is more then 10 times.

Although there is still a long way to popularize them, the “ban on straws” will help consumers change their habit of using plastic straws, and consumers will soon be able to adapt to alternatives. And under the promotion of the straws banned order, the paper straws market has a large development prospect and a high investment potential.

Although paper straws are not perfect, environmental protection is urgent

Paper straws may not be a perfect substitute for plastic straws, but the widespread use of paper straws has a profound impact on raising public awareness of environmental protection.

Although the output of plastic straws only accounts for 0.036% of the total output of plastic products, because of its high degree of attention, banning plastic straws will have a strong demonstration effect on the whole society, and small straws may also become the pioneer of “prohibition of plastics”.

Moreover, paper straws are environmentally friendly, safe and healthy. With the introduction of straws banned orders around the world, the use of paper straws will continue to rise, so how to produce easy-to-use and environmentally friendly paper straws has become a constant concern.

In this case, our straw machine is able to provide the most ideal environmentally friendly straws for hot drink products. GF Machines can provide you a cost-effective, safe and environmentally friendly paper straw machine. Our paper straw making machine can produce both glue-containing and glue-free straws. Among them, the glue-free ones can withstand 100 degrees of high temperature, and there are no harmful substances released. So it will improve a lot consumers’ drinking experience.

In conclusion

We can’t choose a straw freely, but we can choose environmental protection! Paper straw and PLA straws may not be the best solution, but every link on the entire chain is working hard to reduce the use of plastics. Ultimately, all these efforts depend on your simple but critical choices.

If you are interested in the paper straw business, buying the correct machines is important. You can check the paper straw making machine details now, or you can contact with us directly by clicking the button below.