Started using biodegradable straws about three months sgo.

When we go to restaurants, the first thing we say is NO STRAWS. One of our favorite restaurants doesn't use them, but the rest have to be told.

If I'm served a drink with one, I take it out. They've always seemed extraneous to me.

I just don't understand the abject stupidity of human beings.

has been “used” and ends up in the garbage. I like the “no straws” request; I’m going to make sure to start using that.

Also, swizzle sticks in bar drinks! No thank you, I’m perfectly capable of swirling my ice cubes around in my scotch and soda...

(Above), but swizzle sticks is really a pet peeve of mine. They ALWAYS put them in bar drinks, and what is the FIRST thing everybody does? Take it out of the drink and put it on the bar. What a wasteful species we have become...

(Ditto stir sticks for coffee, but then again I don’t take sugar, so I really don’t need one...)

If I'm serving myself from a dispenser, I put my sugar and creamer in the cup first, then pour the coffee over them. Usually that mixes the additions with the coffee much more thoroughly than a stir stick ever would.

Any other time I use a spoon to stir my coffee since I would either be at home or at a restaurant with reusable implements.

I was told by a dentist to not let acidic drinks come in contact with my front teeth.

I'm searching high and low for reusable skinny straws. No luck so far.

(1 tsp in 8 oz of water).

But I've taken to washing the straw and use the same one for several weeks as I've become more aware of the problems they cause.

I've looked in brick and mortar shops and on AMazon for reusable straws. Most of the ones I see are designed for beverages like smoothies or milkshakes and very thick.

It really cuts down on tangling.

Rec

they came with a little brush to clean them out.

I also have some paper straws that we use occasionally or can take places with us so I don't lose my metal ones. We mainly just use the metal ones though.

My husband thinks paper is the answer, but those also have to be recycled.

I got mine for practical reasons. I drink all my cold beverages from straws because of sensitive teeth. I realized one day that if I had re-usable straws I would never run out again. Bonus - I carry one in my purse so I never have to ask for a straw.

I think they came with her fancy insulated cup. At first I made fun of them, but not anymore.

You have to pick up that beverage and put that big hole at the top of the glass up to your mouth, it could really disable your arm and the spills, oh the spills.



Do I need this?

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Whenever I go to Continental Europe, a lot of places don't use dishwashers and just give the glass a clean with a shot of high pressure water. I always bring a lip balm cream relief like blistex.

Straws make on the go consumption much neater. Especially while driving.

I hate being a messy eater (have since I was a kid. And I DESPISE those photos parents take of kids with food all over their face.). Things like ice cream in a cone are too messy for me. Straws enable me to have drinks that would otherwise be messy.

there's a local little lake near where I live. Beautiful little lake that attracts a lot of garbage from the storm drains emptying into it. There's a local shopping mall and other convenience stores and such, and there's a lot of trash that makes its way into the drains and eventually into the lake. A number of us locals volunteer to fish out trash out of the lake whenever we have time. I can't even tell you how many straws we've removed from the shoreline. Can't even venture a guess. Biodegradable straws would be more than a little welcome.

I am sure they could be made to be biodegradable. We have compostable straws at work, I am not sure if they pose the same problem as plastic straws.

And all their products are either re-usable or biodegrable:

Had a flashback to one of our occasional A&W drive-in visits back in the 60s.

Whoosh! Brought it all back.

Oh well, they can give out extra paper straws.

"And we can crank out a billion of these suckers and not chop down one tree, I tell ya."

and another video comes up right after it of another turtle with a a straw or something plastic up it's nose.

that's another option that won't go into the ocean....hopefully. To be extra careful though, there's always paper.

The SS straws come in different lengths, straight or curved, and double as drink stirrers, and they can be easily rinsed or cleaned with the little brush that is included, or just put them in the dishwasher. Some come with colorful plastic or silicone end pieces if you prefer a softer touch, and they also mark everyone's drinks. The silicone straws come in many colors and are dishwasher safe, they are wider and great for smoothies, malts, iced coffee, floats or bubble teas.