Stainless steel straws benefits
This Monday, February 3, is International Plastic Straw Free Day, a day to raise public awareness of the importance of not using this type of disposable product, which will be banned in the EU from 2021.
Straws are found floating on all these islands, where they are often mistaken for food by birds, fish and other marine species. This leads, for example, to mothers feeding what they believe to be nutritious morsels to their chicks only to find that the offspring die from a stomach bloated with plastic waste.
Reusable straws
Silicone straws are flexible, soft and unbreakable. They are an alternative little used in gastronomy. The material can, for example, be aesthetic due to its colorful and a pleasant mouthfeel convey. However, it has its weaknesses in the frequent use as a drinking straw . The use can make that quite expensive even though it is advertised for reuse. In theory, you could clean them in the dishwasher and then reuse them. The problem in practice is that customers chew on the silicone, which can leave teeth marks on the straws. and, therefore, is not perceived as very pleasant in the eyes of other customers. it also quickly absorb the colors of drinks, which can cause staining. Therefore, straws must be constantly replaced as they wear out over time. In addition, they become electrically charged and quickly attract dust.
Probably the biggest advantage of metal straws is their. Longevity and resistance to breakage . In addition, they are BPA-free and mostly dishwasher safe. However, metal drinking straws are not tasteless as they usually have a metallic aftertaste. This creates an interaction that changes the taste between the beverage and the metal drinking straw. The sharp edges make your mouth uncomfortable and can cause injury to your teeth and palate. Further Metal conducts heat, which means that metal straws heat up particularly quickly when used in hot beverages. which in turn can cause burns. In gastronomy, hygiene plays a very important role, which is why the lack of transparency of metal drinking straws poses a major problem Customers cannot tell if the metal drinking straw is really clean inside which deters them from actually using it.
Environmental impact of metal straws
In addition to most of the positive factors, unfortunately all that glitters with this eco-friendly alternative is not gold. Stainless steel, aluminum or copper straws are not 100% tasteless. They can leave a metallic taste in the mouth, especially with beverages that have little flavor of their own, such as water.
On the one hand, the hardness of the material is very positive, as the straw cannot break. On the other hand, many people find metal on their teeth unpleasant. In addition, caution should be exercised when consuming hot liquids. Since metal conducts heat, it can become hot in the mouth with certain beverages.
Stainless steel straws are manufactured with a high expenditure of energy and resources. However, the numerous positive properties, as well as the lifetime durability, largely compensate for this. Of course, they are more expensive to buy, but they are guaranteed. From a gastronomic point of view, however, this cost increase is a problem. Especially if the stylish straws disappear from time to time as if by magic and you have to wait for a new regular purchase.
Avoid buying products wrapped in plastic
I would like to sign, but they force me to accept the privacy policy which states that I accept communications, when I don’t want to receive them. It would help to separate the two issues, one thing is to sign to support a cause, and another is to give my data for promotional use.
I believe that there is not enough publicity about the benefits of properly recycling plastic and other packaging products. The publicity should be done from an economic point of view, so that people know perfectly well the money involved in recycling properly, a lot of money that would come back to us and that would also clean up our environment. We should think about it slowly and for example provide special recycling bins to all people who request it and give recycling classes to both young and old. And above all that it would serve economically for the community, that is to say that the citizens who recycled properly would have a compensation or a clear idea of what is done with that money that would be generated. We are interested in money and our pockets and this would make people think more and more seriously about recycling.