If you REALLY need a straw

Zero-Waste Straws Made From Wild Grass In Vietnam Can Solve Global Plastic Straw Pollution

Each year, there is a staggering 8 million tons of plastic finding its way into our oceans. 

Among these are the plastic straws that are used daily. The United States alone uses and discards about 500 million plastic straws each day, and this impacts our Earth in a huge way.

Most plastics are made from crude oil and are not biodegradable. 

Marine life can mistakenly eat them thinking they are food, which can then get lodged somewhere in their system, causing injury or death.

Young Vietnamese entrepreneur Tran Minh Tien, the founder of Ong Hut Co is creating headlines in his country for coming up with this innovative yet simple solution to eliminate one of the biggest pollutants of the planet.

The grass straws are available in two varieties – fresh and dried. 

For making the straws, at first, a bunch of the collected grass is washed and chopped into perfect 20 cm long pieces. 

Using an iron rod, the inside the of the stem is hollowed out and cleaned, as described by Tran Minh Tien himself, in a video shared by VnExpress International. 

After repeated rinsing in water, the fresh green straws are wrapped into bunches in banana leaves and are sent for the market.

While going straw-free is the most eco-friendly option, many people rely on straws or prefer them, for a variety of reasons. That said, it’s awesome that options like these wild grass straws are now on the market.