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It would be possible to go around the Earth more than two meters high with the plastic straws consumed by Brazilians in a year

Edited and resized image by Célina Rohrbach, available on Unsplash

The straw is a tool used by humanity since ancient times, but the evolution to plastic models was a bad idea, as it brought significant environmental consequences. The stainless steel straw is an option with less environmental impact that has been considered as one of the alternatives to the plastic straw. Understand:

The use of the straw

The first straws date back to 3,000 BC They were made by Sumerian women to avoid the solid by-products of beer fermentation, which were left at the bottom of the glass. The straw was basically a gold tube decorated with blue precious stones, reminiscent of the chimarrão and tererê bomb used by the gauchos.

In 1800, the rye (or straw) straw became popular because it was cheap and soft. The downside is that it dissolves easily on contact with water and gives all drinks a rye flavor. To solve this problem, the paper straw appeared, which, in 1888, was adapted and patented by Marvin C. Stone.

With the invention of plastic, the straw started to be made on a large scale with this type of material and the stainless steel straw emerged as one of the alternatives with less environmental impact.

Why adhere to stainless steel straw

Have you ever rethought if the straw is really necessary in your daily life? Sometimes, it is much more advantageous to drink the drink straight from the good old cup (preferably non-disposable). But if you don't give up drinking fresh coconut water straight from the fruit and you know its benefits, don't worry. You don't need to give it up for dispensing with the plastic straw from your daily life. You just need to buy a durable stainless steel straw, and learn to tell the waiter, before he arrives with the coconut, that you don't need the plastic straw.

If you have a health condition that requires the use of a straw, maybe a stainless steel straw is an alternative for you. If it isn't, there are other durable and more flexible options like the silicone and bamboo straw.

• Coconut water: scientifically proven benefits

The disposable plastic straw represents 4% of all plastic waste in the world and, as it is made of polypropylene and polystyrene (plastics), it is not biodegradable and can take up to a thousand years to decompose in the environment!

The production of plastic straw contributes to the consumption of oil, a non-renewable source; and its usage time is very short - about four minutes. But what is four minutes for us is equivalent to hundreds of years of pollution for the environment.

If you think that this is not enough and that it is not worth eliminating the consumption of plastic straws from everyday life, imagine that, if we use 6mm diameter straws as an example, the volume occupied by the total used by Brazilians in a year equivalent to a cube with a 165 meter edge (50 meters taller than the Copan building in São Paulo).

If we stack the straws consumed by Brazilians in a year on a 2.10 meter high wall, it would be possible to go around the Earth completely, in a line over 45,000 kilometers wide!

Now imagine that, even if you dispose of your straw correctly, it can escape from landfills and recycling plants through wind and rain (mainly because it is light), end up in the sea and, with much regret, in the nose of a turtle .

• Researchers remove plastic straw stuck in turtle nostrils. watch
• Whales and dolphins suffer from excess plastic waste in the ocean
• Marine pollution causes tumors in turtles

Present on beaches, the plastic straw is also a source of microplastic formation, the most harmful shape of plastic, which impacts all aquatic fauna and is already present in food, salt, organisms and even drinking water worldwide.

• There are microplastics in salt, food, air and water
• The danger of microplastics in exfoliants
• What is the origin of the plastic that pollutes the oceans?

It is estimated that 90% of marine species have ingested plastic products at some point and that all sea turtles on the planet have plastic in their bodies.

the stainless steel straw

Despite being less light than straw, bamboo and paper straw, the stainless steel straw can be taken anywhere. It can be purchased as a set and usually comes with built-in cleaners and a cloth bag for transport. In addition, the stainless steel straw is non-toxic and there are many different models and sizes.

The biggest advantage of the stainless steel straw is that it is not disposable like the plastic ones. But it's also portable and, on top of that, stylish. In this style there are also models made of glass, bamboo and the chimarrão pump itself that can act as a stainless steel straw.

Dispose correctly

Not everything in life goes as planned. Often the use of plastic straw ends up being compulsory. Sometimes, even if you tell the waiter you don't want the plastic straw, your juice ends up with one. In this case, keep your straw and dispose of it correctly, increasing the chances of it being recycled. Check which recycling stations are closest to your home on the free search engine on eCycle portal. Lighten your footprint and contribute to the circular economy of plastic.

• New Plastics Economy: the initiative that rethinks the future of plastics

To find out how to reduce your plastic waste production take a look at the article: "How to reduce plastic consumption? Check out tips".

Ecological awareness goes beyond the use of stainless steel straw

The practice of conscious consumption is not limited to the use of stainless steel straw. Within this scope, it is necessary to rethink what you eat, how you discard your waste, wear it, pants; what you use for the hygiene of your own body, home and workplace, among others. But putting ecological awareness into practice goes beyond the question of consumption. In addition to this posture, rethink the political-economic issues that surround you and how you, individually and collectively, can act in favor of sustainable development.