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Bamboo Drinking Straws: A Step Towards a New Environmental Awareness

"Reusable and environmentally friendly, bamboo straws are a great alternative to replace plastic straws"


bamboo straws


The use of the regular plastic straw is something really useless since studies of the American Science magazine state that 8 million tons of plastic remains are poured every year in the oceans of the planet, which is equivalent to 250 kg per second!


A regular person will consume around 38 thousand straws throughout his life, which will mostly end up in landfills generating a lot of pollution.


The Conference on the Oceans of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) gave alarming figures: the ocean now contains 13 thousand plastic fragments per square kilometer, all those from wastes that we help to generate, kill one million birds and approximately 100 thousand mammals of 600 different marine species.


Anyway, instead of being depressed by our planet we should contribute to help it and inspire other people to help. That's why here a tiny bit of sand, we are going to tell you how we can do so that you can make your own reusable straws made of Bamboo.



From April 2020, plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds will be banned throughout England as a way to curb and reduce the amount of plastic pollution that is having a detrimental effect on our environment and is clogging up our rivers, oceans, and seas.


We think that it’s a positive step in the right direction and acts as a strong statement in the battle against plastic waste that kills over 100,000 sea mammals and over one million wild birds each and every year. 


Europe will follow suit and will implement a similar ban in 2021 and Canada has also recently announced that they will ban single-use plastics too. It’s good to see countries taking a stand against the plight.


In light of the upcoming straw ban in the UK and Europe, bamboo straws offer a great alternative to plastic. Bamboo straws can be used for many different business types including restaurants, bars, hotels, weddings, and corporate events. 


Bamboo grows in abundance and can reach full maturity in around 3-5 years, which makes bamboo straws fully sustainable, recyclable and compostable too. No other straw can boast utility in the same way, so as a business that is looking to make an impact and reduce the amount of plastic they consume, need they look any further?


It is very hard to recycle plastic straws. If you have to use one, there are many types of straws that can be reused many times for you to choose from. For example, bamboo straws can be used many times and are safe for the environment.


This bamboo straw is made from traditional Vietnamese bamboo material, handcrafted by skilled artisans. Bamboo is chosen as a raw material for straw production because bamboo is a very popular, fast-growing tree, so this bamboo material is cheap, eco-friendly and unique, it consumes less energy when producing straws with paper, plastic.






Materials needed to make your own biodegradable straws made of Bamboo :

  • Bamboo branches

  • Saw

  • Sandpaper

  • Boiling pot

  • Water and vinegar


1.

The first thing you should do is look for bamboo branches in your area as this will be our raw material. Look for those branches that best suit what you are looking for, preferably some that are already dry.


Look for those that do not have cracks so that the liquid is not going to come out or it costs you more to suck.


2.

With a saw, find the length you need to cut bamboo straws evenly.


In this part be very careful! If you have the possibility of having a press, use it on a flat and elevated surface so that you have an excellent foothold because you will feel how the wood vibrates.


3.

Now you have the woodcut with the desired length, now you just have to sand the bamboo to remove any imperfections you might have.


4.

Now you have the sanded wood, grab a pot and put water with vinegar.


Vinegar is one of the best natural cleaning products that exist and this is due to its antimicrobial properties. It has been used for a long time as a disinfectant, both for meals and for personal hygiene. The main component of vinegar that is responsible for fulfilling this function is acetic acid, known to be effective against salmonella.


Now that you are aware of why we use vinegar, put it in boiling water for 5 minutes.


In less than 20 minutes you will easily have about 15 or 20 straws that will last for years! It may not be much, but it is a good start to pave our way onto a sustainable environment.



The reusable bamboo straw can be cleaned easily after each use.


There are several ways to wash your straw for drinking:

The first is to put it in the dishwasher along with your other cutlery. The second way to clean your reusable straw is to wash it by hand, first inside with a cleaning brush, then with a sponge to clean the outside and ends.


The straw bamboo is resistant to water and various dish cleaning products.


To disinfect natural bamboo straws, it is recommended to immerse them regularly in water, once a month, in boiling water for 10 minutes.



After cleaning, remember to let your straws dry in a dry and ventilated place. The bamboo straw is made of 100% organic material and is naturally resistant to mold. It is still very important to dry it properly.


Once the previous step is over, bamboo straws can be stored in a drawer or as a decoration in your kitchen.



The lifespan of a washable and reusable bamboo straw will depend on its frequency of use. It can, therefore, vary from a few months to a few years. If it is used several times a day and this every day, in a bar or restaurant, for example, the frequency of washing will lead to a logical decrease in its lifespan.


It is estimated that a restaurant bar will have to change bamboo straws two to three times a year. At home, if the straw is used more regularly and kept in a dry place, it can last a few years. 



BambooVision was founded in 2018 with the objective of supporting, educating, and empowering individuals and businesses of all types to make the switch to reusables in order to reduce some of the devastating effects that plastic pollution is having on our environment.


We work directly with the local farms in Vietnam, and our farms have the capacity to produce millions of bamboo straws each and every month. BambooVision offers wholesale bamboo straws, ready to be purchased in the UK, Europe and all over the world.


Being an eco-friendly consumer is much more than being sustainable, it means committing to the environment and the planet on which you live!


Our products are shipped in a recycled cardboard box, without plastic bags, without tissue papers and other disposables.


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