For plastic, it will be the last straw

Often choking the drains and water bodies around Bengaluru, plastic straws have become the bane for the BBMP that has put up a brave fight against the rampant use of plastic across the city.

Plastic straws used by tender coconut vendors and juice and beverage shops have been adding to the pollution of the city besides affecting water bodies and aquatic life in them.

Sources in the BBMP told DH that straws contribute to 4% to 5% of plastic waste generated in the city. While citizen groups and social organisations are trying their best to fight the menace, illegal use by small vendors has resulted in the transaction of a whopping 8 to 9 lakh straws every day in Bengaluru alone. No surprise, the special mela organised by the BBMP to bring together manufacturers of eco-friendly products witnessed overwhelming queries about straws made of paper and organic materials like wheat husk and bamboo.

Venkat N, an executive with Bengaluru-based Arttek Solutions, manufacturers of paper straws, said, “There have been several queries from various hotels and restaurants.”

The firm has been exporting paper straws to the US, the UK, Arab countries and South-East Asian countries for over three years. “These paper straws made from patented quality paper last five to six hours and can be used for any kind of cold beverages.”

Yet another startup ‘Stay Strawng (The Kind Earth)’ is manufacturing organic straws made from wheat husk and bamboo. “While straws made from wheat husk are meant for single use, the ones made from bamboo can be reused for a few times. The bamboo straws are specially designed and polished to ensure that no food particle is stuck inside,” explained Archana Suresh Daga, co-founder of the firm.

Straws extracted from castor plants were also a hit among the visitors.

Compared to conventional plastic straws, their eco-friendly counterparts are 10 to 15% expensive, but manufacturers feel that the increased use of these materials will bring down the cost. While the cost of paper straws varies from 75 paise to Rs 2 depending on the diameter, those made from wheat husk will cost about Rs 1 apiece.

The promoters have been targeting juice shops, tender coconut joints, breweries and pubs where there is rampant use of plastic straws.

The three-day mela, which will end on Sunday, is also offering solutions to packaging industries that rely on bubble packing, thermocol and foam for wrapping goods. Pawan Maheshwari, founder and CEO of Packmile, who has begun supplying his patented paper bubble wrap BHive and paper tape to MNCs like Amazon and Decathlon, said more awareness will help the public switch over to eco-friendly products.