Hello!
Bubble Tea & the Need for Straws
Building upon our previous discussion of tapioca pearls, most of us would agree that bubble tea is ‘bubble tea’ because of the toppings within it. Although an amazing invention that bubble tea fans would be eternally grateful for, this is driving up the amount of waste generated by the bubble tea industry. The consequence of adding toppings into your drink means that now, you’re going to need a straw to consume it in order to enjoy the tea and toppings as one single entity. This poses a problem because now, the straw becomes irreplaceable.
What are some alternatives has the world come up with to tackle this problem of plastic straw consumption in the bubble tea industry?
Well, produce more straws! Not plastic straws, but straws made of stainless steel, glass, bamboo and even rice! Here’s a chart which compares the different straw alternatives (except the rice straw) out in the market.
As seen here, the plastic straw seems to triumph all other alternatives in terms of the energy used, carbon dioxide produced as well as cost price. However, what’s not taken into account is the duration in which these straws can be used – plastic straws are for single uses, whereas the alternative straws can last much longer!
Yet, being imperfect humans with limited capabilities, these alternatives have their own problems as well.
You could already imagine what would happen to the glass straw if you dropped it. It’ll most likely break, drastically cutting short the actual duration it would have otherwise lasted. Bamboo straws taste funny, and stainless steel straws could kill. Nevertheless, stainless steel straws are much more durable than glass straws or bamboo straws and doesn’t taste funny, making the stainless steel straw the more popular option.
It’s always easy to say whether or not something is bad for the environment. The difficulty lies in coming up with a good solution that 1. counters the problem and 2. doesn’t become a problem itself. Before we jump on the bandwagon to say if an alternative is better or worse for the environment, let’s take a step back to understand how these alternatives really are better for the environment, and how much we can really commit to these alternatives.
For the stainless steel straw, if you wouldn’t use it for 150 times before throwing it away, the metal straw wouldn’t be any much better than the plastic straw, and you could either 1. switch back to plastic straws since you’ll generate a lower carbon footprint, or 2. just remember to bring your straw out and hit that 150 quota.
There’s multiple ways to look at many environmental issues, and depending on our own preferences and habits, the solution and actions we take vary. Hence, each should take up the one that’s best suited to themselves while always looking to improve and do more for our environment!
In my next post, I’ll be sharing the results of a survey I’ll be conducting to find out more about what Singaporeans have been doing about the plastic straw issue and whether or not metal straws are really helping with the situation.
See you!
Hi Yee qi
Interesting post that reiterated the importance of straw types in the current day and age. I have even read that there are pasta straws on sale now! I was just wondering if pasta straws (similar to the rice ones) are a sustainable way of reducing the carbon footprint. (https://www.insider.com/i-drank-out-of-a-pasta-straw-for-a-week-2019-10#after-hearing-about-them-i-decided-to-try-using-a-pasta-straw-for-a-week-2) Based on what I know, they are quite sturdy but the only drawback is that they turn mushy in contact with warm liquid. Do you think this deters people from using them?
Hello Wen Han!
Thank you for shedding light on pasta straws, I originally thought they would have a large water footprint but this study shows otherwise! I searched up more about the pasta straw and found this article that evaluates the effectiveness of the pasta straw as an alternative. The article brought up a few interesting points toward the end, about how if the plastic straw were to be thrown together with the drink into the trash bin, the potential environmental benefit would be gone. The author sheds light on the lack of waste segregation systems that would filter out compostable waste like the pasta straw, and as a result, the pasta straw may add to the food waste problem (if not handled well and disposed in landfills, would decompose and release methane!).
As the first article shows the author using pasta as a straw instead of the pasta straw, the mushiness/sogginess of the straw doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem for the pasta straw (which is good news!) mentioned in the second article. Instead, the article brings up issues of the drink tasting like pasta, and the texture of the pasta straw itself. I think this is similar for the rice straw, and well, if it turns mushy after long use with liquids, some people would certainly be grossed out if the pasta were to start disintegrating within the drink itself. Though, what harm could some uncooked flour do to us? Also, I can’t help but think if it were possible to keep the pasta straws after each use (preferably just before they turn soggy?) for a few days and then cook them for a meal? Talk about reducing waste!
Hope this answers your question, I would love to hear what you think about using pasta straws!
Hi Yee Qi!
I totally agree that straws are a problem especially in the F&B industry! However, one thing that I have been observing is that even though stainless steel straws are readily available now and many campuses/companies are giving it away for free, many people are still using plastic straws because of convenience. I’ve also seen people stocking up on plastic straws from other places to cope with the lack of straws in NUS! This also causes the metal straws to just rot away in their homes. In this sense, would a plastic straw be more environmentally-friendly instead of mass producing metal straws for people who won’t even use it?
Hello Stacia!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and observations with me, I totally agree with what you’ve mentioned on the infrequent use of reusable straws though it’s my first time hearing about people stocking up on plastic straws! 🙁
I observed similar trends and even I struggle with having too many reusable straws at home that I’ve gotten for free and… there’s just too many. There was also a recent article on how single-use plastic bags are more environmentally-friendly than paper or cotton bags in Singapore, and the reasons stated are similar to what you’ve mentioned! As such, I conduced a survey to find out about the use of reusable straws in Singapore to see if this finding regarding plastic bags would be applicable to plastic straws as well! Stay tuned to my next post and I’ll share more insights on this! 🙂
Hi Yee Qi,
Interesting post ! I had no idea someone died by metal straw ! Poor woman.
Maybe I’m unusual, but since buying 3 metal straws several yrs ago, I think I’ve used a disposable straw maybe a handful of times, mainly when I ordered a cocktail and forgot to tell the server not to bring me a straw. And my reusable shopping bags… I’ve been using the same ones for a long time – one of them for 21 yrs !
So I’m wondering if many ppl are just treating these items as more “stuff to buy” as opposed to legitimate parts of commitments to sustainability.
jc
Hello Dr Coleman!
To be really honest, I think it’s super difficult to completely cut out straws especially if drinks are served to you with straws, and you can’t return it to them because it’s not hygienic for reusing in someone else’s drink so I totally understand what you mean! It’s really amazing that you’ve been using the same shopping bags for a long time, 21 years is an incredibly long time! 😮 Think about all the single-use plastic cut down, that’s amazing 🙂
Yes, I do think that often times, people jump on the bandwagon when something becomes trendy, and especially so for all these ‘environmentally-friendly’ products! “I drank my smoothie with a smoothie straw today” are the kind of pictures you’ll see, and well, you could really just do without the straw and save water BUT having the straw makes it aesthetic – especially when the straws are rainbow coloured! So yes, I would say that it’s often a short-lived moment of hype whereby many bought their straws without actually intending to commit to using their reusable straws for a long, long time. As a result, these straws get left behind and forgotten when the hype dies.
Many organisations hop on such trends as well, giving out these goodies during career fairs. If I recall, the trends I remember would be of tote bags, followed by drawstring bags, and then the recent metal straw! This just adds to the amount of straws that are given to individuals who may not have intended to commit to any form of sustainable action at all! 🙁 Hope this answers your question, I’ll also be sharing my survey results which are related to this, so stay tuned if you’re interested to find out more!