From plastic to pasta... straws

Oh, the plastic debate. With our ever-growing focus on sustainability, talking plastic seems to be the latest thing and right now, it’s all about straws. The quest for a straw substitute that doesn’t go floppy and soggy, that is hygienic and easy to clean, or that is okay for Gluten Free-ers (yes pasta straws are now a thing), is all-consuming.

I’ve never lived a life without plastic straws and it has always been natural for me to pick up a couple to sip through the ice in my mojito; I never really thought twice about the impact this ‘small’ change could have on our planet—or at least the plastic reduction for the UK. I must admit, I was sceptical when straws were no longer readily available, but after a few months went by, it did become quite shocking when a bartender plonked several in your drink.

I quickly bought into the whole project, seeing all the coffee shops in London compete to be the most sustainable way to have your iced coffee and drink it too. Coco di Mama, I must say you’re a winner in my eyes with your pasta straws.

I thought it would be tricky to change attitudes, but it’s amazing to see the country get on-board and understand their own social responsibility. I went to a cocktail making masterclass on the weekend where they used plastic straws: the way they dipped it into the cocktail to taste and threw it straight away definitely caught people’s attention, in a way I don’t believe would have at the beginning of the year. This even lead to one man asking, ‘what about plastic straws—aren’t you concerned?’ to which the bartender responded, ‘These are the last of the plastic straws. As you can see here we have paper ones too; we’re just finishing off the last of them for tasting and then will be using only paper straws.’ It was nice that the question was asked and the immediate response had a plan of action.

For me personally, I now feel guilty when using a plastic straw, and not only that, I am conscious of other plastic items too—for example, the packaging within packaging within packaging when receiving a tiny item in the post. It seems entirely unnecessary, and I’m hoping plastic straws are just the beginning, so we can start seeing change in other areas too. This does seem to be the way things are going, with coffee shops now charging for coffee served in their disposable cups and discounting when the customers bring their own.

Another important aspect to changing attitudes is the influence we have on future generations. When I gave my 5-year-old niece her water last week with a pasta straw in it, she asked me what it was. She found it exciting, but she was also interested in the reasons behind why she was using it and what is happening to our oceans. I must have heard her say to five different people after our conversation, ‘you must buy some pasta straws, because plastic isn’t good. It falls into the ocean and the turtles eat them which hurts them.’

So, there you go, even our children are educating the adults of today, and aware of their social responsibility too.