Hello all you happy people. I am back from a much needed 10 day break. At 31 weeks pregnant, my lovely husband dragged me up Mt Taranaki for a 2 day hike. It was lovely to get back to nature, but it also made me realise how much waste is created on hiking and camping trips due to the fact you have to take the bare minimum. Meaning that some zero waste solutions just aren't practical. I did however, over the 10 days have a good chance to try out all my re usable straws. I have 3 different types of straws at the moment, and I never really thought about the positives or negatives of each one for different situations.
I have plastic, silicon and bamboo straws. They are all the standard size, but I am aware you can get wider, smoothie sized straws too. There are also options for straight or bent straws depending on your preference. I have both, but prefer the bent one, it just reaches my mouth easier. Now what are the different straw scenarios you may ask?
Smoothies/thickshakes. This was a big testing point over our break. After out big hike, the family decided they wanted to get a thickshake. Only takeaway places were open, so they went to McDonalds and picked up a thickshake, NO straw because I had plenty in my bag. First they tried the silicon straw. The shake was so thick, the straw just sucked in when my husband sucked on it! None of the shake came up, and of course, me and my reusable straws were not popular. So he tried the bamboo straw. Well, with a lot of vigorous sucking, the shake came up. It goes to show though, that the fat smoothie straws really do have a purpose! My son on the other hand, opted to just eat his with a spoon.
Kids. I find that my son is always biting on every straw he is given. To stop his teeth and my straws being destroyed, I find that the silicon straws are fantastic. They also come in a range of fun colours, so they can pick their fav. This is also good for identifying who's drink is who's.
Travel. For traveling and carrying round in my handbag, I find a straight straw or a silicon straw is best. I haven't tried them, but I would probably avoid glass straws due to the fact they could break.
Takeaway. Well, I'm hoping for this scenario you actually bring your own cup and straw! But if you forget, like I often do, go without the plastic lid at least, and then you are free to use any straw of your choice.
Pros and cons:
Silicon: Won't break, tooth friendly, easy to carry around, doesn't get bite marks in it, comes in straight, bent, thick or thin varieties. BUT... not good for sucking up thick drinks like smoothies. Could possibly hold bad tastes or smells over time, not biodegradable or recyclable.
Bamboo: Biodegradable, strong, you are able to suck up thick drinks, easy to travel with. BUT... I don't feel like it is as hygienic, seems harder to clean, no option for a bent straw.
Plastic: This is my least favourite. It is easy to travel with, depending on the type of plastic it could be recyclable. BUT... gets broken, bent out of shape and teeth marks easily, not biodegradable, could hold a bad smell or taste over time.
When I try the glass and the metal straws I will let you know how they go too. But I think you might be all strawed out for today!