Wooden Straws vs. Plastic Straws: Should You Switch to Wooden Straws?
Straws are often considered a necessity, and with so many people enjoying using them, it seems unthinkable to ditch them entirely. Nonetheless, their traditional materials are increasingly becoming a major source of environmental hazards. Heartbreakingly, plastic straws are found in the stomachs of marine animals and are responsible for clogging precious marine ecosystems.
Good news? Wooden straws can be an eco-friendly alternative to plastic straws. The debate over biodegradable disposable wooden straws versus plastic straws is brought up time and time again among environmental enthusiasts. Which materials can save the planet, and do wooden straws really work? Let's discuss whether you should switch from using plastic straws to wooden straws.
Why Are Plastic Straws Bad for the Environment?
Plastic straws are one of the most used and discarded items in the world. Devastatingly, their convenience has come at a heavy cost to our planet.
On average, 500 million plastic straws are thrown away every day in the US alone! Not only do plastic straws take hundreds of years to decompose, but their production and disposal continue to have a devastating impact on our environment.
The manufacture of plastic straws requires non-renewable resources such as oil, gas, and harmful chemicals, which can seriously pollute water supplies and thus increase their carbon footprint.
As if that wasn't enough to change your mind, sad statistics show that the disposal or littering of these single-use straws results in them being washed into the ocean, where marine life can swallow them or become entangled with them.
They can even break down into smaller fragments that can accumulate over time and further harm wildlife by damaging and entering the food chain.
Why Are Wooden Straws Better Than Plastic Straws?
Wooden straws vs plastic straws is a hot topic of discussion and controversy that has been going on for some time now. But why do most people think wooden straws are superior to the popular and widely used plastic straws? The answer lies in the level of sustainability of these two materials and how they affect our environment.
First, wooden straws biodegrade more easily than plastic straws. They break down easily and quickly, significantly reducing their environmental impact. Plastic is made from non-renewable resources and can decompose for up to 500 years, while wooden straws break down in less than three months after exposure to sunlight or water.
A second advantage of using wood over plastic is its level of safety for animals and marine life. The danger of plastic stems from its ability to be ingested by animals, once it breaks into small pieces or accumulates into the large pieces we now find in our oceans called "plastic islands". This is not a conceivable question when discussing wooden straws.
Another benefit of using wood instead of plastic is its health factor and side effects. Studies have deduced that chemicals in plastic straws can leach into beverages and be ingested by humans - wooden straws don't even have to account for that.
Do Wooden Straws Really Work?
As the world steadily moves towards more sustainable practices and eco-friendly options, wooden straws are gaining popularity as an alternative to plastic straws. Wooden straws are made of biodegradable materials, which help reduce plastic pollution in the environment.
Wooden straws are the most common green alternative to plastic straws, but they’re not actually the greenest – the paradox is that they have some negative impact on the environment! The growing popularity of wooden straws has been a catalyst to overcome and focus on the environmental consequences: the destruction of forests.
As climate change worsens and resources become scarcer, it's important to consider the full environmental consequences of our actions - even something as seemingly insignificant as choosing a biodegradable straw over a plastic one.
The wood vs. plastic straw debate has been a contentious and sizzling hot topic for years, and it turns out that wooden straws are a better alternative to plastic. This is because they have the significant advantage of being biodegradable. For a better and better future, let us all act!
Greenwood is one of the stalwart brands leading this revolution, continuing to create eco-friendly and plastic-free single-use products. If you want to buy environmentally friendly disposable wooden tableware, please contact us.
Greenwood has 20 years of experience as a professional custom disposable tableware manufacturer. Our products cover 116 types of bamboo and wood disposable tableware in 10 categories. At the same time, Greenwood's R&D center is also constantly researching market demand and developing more wooden disposable tableware styles that are close to market demand. After more than 20 years of accumulation and improvement, Greenwood has mature and complete core technology experience, and has obtained multiple certifications such as BRC, BSCI, FSC, SGS, LFGB, etc., and can guarantee product quality efficiently, stably and safely.
