Beatrice Chan Tong, Lin Mei An, Nicholas Neo Shi Wei, Pamela Koh Rong Yi, Phillmont Muktar
Academic Advisor: Prof. Adekunle Adeyeye
Plastic straws affect more than 700 marine species and are estimated to be found in 90% of seabirds and sea turtles. The 2015 video of the sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose sobered many into the fact that plastics in our seas are taking a toll on our marine species. Closer to Singapore, the introduction of straw bans has been widely regarded as a step towards a world consuming lesser plastic. However, there are still cases such as the iReject campaign in NUS that was highly criticized upon its launch. This was surprising given that university students are supposed to be aware of the environmental impacts of plastic straws. From our survey targeted at NUS students and staffs, we found out that 69.7% of respondents are aware of the harms of plastic straws and yet continue to use them. Users still largely prefer the use of straws, and thus, our project seeks to create an environmentally friendly alternative: edible biscuit straws, which will be able to fulfill practical needs of consumers and their strong reliance while reducing its impacts on the environment as opposed to plastic straws. Our group created prototypes with the aim of achieving close functionality to plastic straws. Through various baking sessions, we tested the usability of different materials and how long they can last in liquids to better cater to the needs of the consumers. We managed to derive a recipe that makes straws of relatively good functionality. Results of workshops conducted also showed that the NUS community is generally receptive of and eager to try out edible straws.
Keywords: Culture and Lifestyle Trends, Responsible Consumption, Waste Management, Edible Straw, Biodegradable