We have compostable plastics now though. They feel slightly different than regular plastic, but they’re still durable and work well while using them. They’re all over Seattle thanks to the single use plastics ban.
Your thinking about materials is a bit flawed there.
You have biodegradable bags that can hold water for days (5+year old tech). Same for weather-proof packaging. Nowdays that is not the issue, it took (only) a couple of years but companies have developed good alternatives.
Even those cardboard ice cream tubs from like 10+ years ago can hold water for months (had it outside & left it when I noticed how it didn’t let the water go yet - it was the less waxed outside of the packaging that gave out first).
Three is a huge difference between dissolving in water immediately or after months - or even never: eg cellulose (“wood”) doesn’t dissolve in water as such, but it’s eaten by a huge number of various bacteria (which ofc doesn’t happen within hours of using the straw).
Cardboard straws getting soggy is just a design flaw of that specific product that (it seems?) gets sold anyway, bcs consumers don’t demand better & rather blame the gov doing good than the bar/restaurant/store not giving two fucks (or just bcs profit) & ordering actually viable stuff.
Another example - several decades ago the paper industry developed those little transparent/seethrough windows on envelopes from celuloze (~paper) just bcs they just wanted to ditch the plastics industry. And nobody noticed.
The terminology is fucked (bcs megacorps), a lot of eg “biodegradable” cups aren’t compostable bcs they contain some plastic particles (which aren’t in fact biodegradable).
There is no good reason why we don’t have good straws from natural materials consumers wouldn’t differentiate to plastic ones.
It’s so little material development and so much lobbying & a bit of logistics issue.
Non degradable stuff from “natural” materials would have the same issues. It must break down in water.
But it doesn’t have to do it in the timespan of 47 seconds.
Bamboo is pretty good. Pasta straws are also okay.
Metal or glass are the best.
We have compostable plastics now though. They feel slightly different than regular plastic, but they’re still durable and work well while using them. They’re all over Seattle thanks to the single use plastics ban.
I know a place with raw noodles straws. It stay hard long enough to drink, and it’s fun.
The idea always disgusted me, but more power to you! Never tried it. Also been a while since I used a straw.
Your thinking about materials is a bit flawed there.
You have biodegradable bags that can hold water for days (5+year old tech). Same for weather-proof packaging. Nowdays that is not the issue, it took (only) a couple of years but companies have developed good alternatives.
Even those cardboard ice cream tubs from like 10+ years ago can hold water for months (had it outside & left it when I noticed how it didn’t let the water go yet - it was the less waxed outside of the packaging that gave out first).
Three is a huge difference between dissolving in water immediately or after months - or even never: eg cellulose (“wood”) doesn’t dissolve in water as such, but it’s eaten by a huge number of various bacteria (which ofc doesn’t happen within hours of using the straw).
Cardboard straws getting soggy is just a design flaw of that specific product that (it seems?) gets sold anyway, bcs consumers don’t demand better & rather blame the gov doing good than the bar/restaurant/store not giving two fucks (or just bcs profit) & ordering actually viable stuff.
Another example - several decades ago the paper industry developed those little transparent/seethrough windows on envelopes from celuloze (~paper) just bcs they just wanted to ditch the plastics industry. And nobody noticed.
There are biodegradable materials that don’t biodegrade in the ocean. You are right that there are probably good materials though.
What do you mean by the ocean?
I would assume you would want straws to biodegrade in the ocean, why not?
Yes. And many plastics that are biodegradable do not. Because biodegradable means degradable in a hot compost. Not the ground.
The terminology is fucked (bcs megacorps), a lot of eg “biodegradable” cups aren’t compostable bcs they contain some plastic particles (which aren’t in fact biodegradable).