Pasta can save the environment! No, really.
The world is turning away from single-use plastics as people start recognizing their environmental impact. Plastic drinking straws are among the worst offenders, with millions littering U.S. shorelines alone. But several companies believe pasta could be the perfect answer and products are hitting store shelves near you.
On this episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, chef Nyesha Arrington and restaurateur Philip Camino talk about pasta straws. Philip and Nyesha cover the environmental impact plastic straws have had, their more eco-friendly alternatives, and how pasta straws could offer the sustainability people want without the hassles that come with metal and paper straws.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss pasta straws:
- Bans on plastic straws have gained a lot of traction in recent years, seeing several states and cities phasing them out
- Companies like Starbucks and Disney World have banned plastic straws company-wide
- Recycling machines can’t process single-use plastic straws, seeing them wind up in the ocean as trash
- About 18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the ocean every year and plastic straws are one of the top-10 contributors
- During a 5-year clean-up project, researchers found almost 7.5 million plastic straws on U.S. shorelines
- Scientists estimate plastic straws can take 450 years to break down with some remaining forever
- Paper straws take 30-60 days to properly decompose but some people have found they can disintegrate a little too easily in their drinks
- Metal straws are a good alternative since they are reusable but the energy needed to make a metal straw is equivalent to 150 plastic straws
- Pasta straws have begun popping up in restaurants around the country, including Primi and Popina in New York
- You can find gluten-free pasta straws made from rice and tapioca flour from brands like Pasta Life
- Pasta straws still dissolve after about 45 minutes but can last longer than paper straws
- Pasta straws are also a little pricier, coming in at about double the cost of paper straws
Links:
New York Magazine - Restaurants from Popina to Bar Primi use these nifty straws made of pasta
National Geographic - Forever is a long time
Our Last Straw - Facts and figures
Pasta Life - Gluten-free pasta straws
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