A small, plastic straw – It’s something that comes with most beverages that we order, from soft drinks to even a glass of water. Though at first, this small straw may not seem like a lot, when its usage is added up, plastic straws create a big problem for the environment. 

India produces 15,342 tonnes of plastic waste every year

Indian pollution control board has given estimates that 15,342 tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year and the majority of which is never recycled end up in landfills or oceans.

The big chunk of this plastic waste is Plastic straws which are used only once that too for just a few minutes and thrown away. The size and design of these straws make it difficult to be recycled resulting in these straws ending up in oceans. 

Plastics, a threat to marine life

Just imagine if a person uses just 1 straw a day and in the year that would 365 straws and now just imagine where this number will reach with 1.324 billion Indian Population. This is one of the reasons that these plastic straws are one of the top 10 plastic items picked up during the beach clean-ups.

Plastic never degrades but breaks up into small pieces which are often considered as food by confused aquatic animals and they often choke on them. A large number of seabirds and turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs which reduces their lifespan.

The harmful additives present inside plastic causes negative health effects which may result in:

1. Impair immune function
2. Increase chances for cancer
3. Early-onset of puberty
4. Obesity
5. Diabetes
6. Hyperactivity and more

What is the best alternative to plastic straws?

Now the question arises if you still want to use straws what are the alternatives available? There are multiple alternatives available in the market that includes Paper, Bamboo, Glass and Steel Straws.

Paper made by cutting the trees which end up doing more harm to the environment than good and the same is almost true for bamboo plus they have inconsistent size making it difficult to use. The glass straws can be dangerous to use as they can often break and can hurt you while using.

Now, comes The Steel Straws which provides you with the best alternative to plastic straws.

Firstly, these straws are made up of Food Grade Stainless Steel material that is free from any type of toxic chemicals or BPAs that are found in plastic straws. These steel straws are reusable and can be reused for 100s of times. 

Even if you reach the end of life of these straws then also it can be recycled as steel is one of the most recycled products in the world.

These steel straws don’t break because of the highly durable material used and rounded edges make it safe to use. You might be obsessing about having to clean the straw at the end of the day these Stainless steel straws can be easily put in a dishwasher for cleaning or can be cleaned using the cleaning brushes that comes with the set of the straw. 

Making a shift to stainless steel straws can help contribute largely towards the prevention of plastic pollution. A lot less plastic will end up in oceans or landfills. 

(Steel Straws India are trying to do our bit by providing the best alternative for the plastic straws at most economical prices and doing our little bit for a better and healthy environment. Stainless steel straws are available on http://steelstraws.in/shop/)

(The views expressed in the article are the author’s own. Let Me Breathe neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)