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Wouldn't a light coating of oil or wax be enough to keep the straw intact for an hour while sipping a beverage?
by chmod600 4y ago
Wouldn't a light coating of oil or wax be enough to keep the straw intact for an hour while sipping a beverage?
- ricardobeat 4y agoEven these new, who-knows-what additive laced straws start falling apart after 5-10 minutes.
- robbiep 4y agoYou do realise this article is in fact describing exactly what that who-knows-what is, right?
- the_jeremy 4y agoI don't believe it was an exhaustive list of ingredients, only one set of concerning ingredients common to most.
- chmod600 4y agoBut why? What is the engineering challenge in a cheap tube that needs to survive modest collapsing pressure and contact with cold water for an hour? Maybe wax-coated paper, or a thin foil coating on paper, or some other kind of plant matter pounded into the right shape, or something.
- version_five 4y agoThere is no challenge, we've invented plastic straws. The challenge is to use something that the people who are worked up about straws do not identify as plastic. Wax is a hydrocarbon that I believe comes from oil. I don't know how it breaks down on the environment but it's not immediately clear it's actually "better" than plastic, other than maybe not being seen once it falls apart.
- roflulz 4y agothe waxes we should be using are the ones from plants and animals, and they degrade like any other organic compounds. paraffin wax is the petroleum derived ones - and yeah - we should try to ban those.
- ars 4y agoWax defeats the entire purpose of making a paper straw. Oil would not stay in the paper. Just use plastic, it's better for the environment anyway.
- coffeeblack 4y agoMy favorite part is when the paper straws come individually wrapped in plastic.
- chmod600 4y agoWhy does wax defeat the purpose of a paper straw? Aren't there some biodegradable waxes?
- ars 4y agoWhy are you using a paper straw in the first place? If it's so it vanishes if you litter it - a wax covered straw is not going to do that. It will eventually biodegrade, but it's going to take a long time. If you are worried about straws getting stuck in animals, a wax covered one will also get stuck. The entire straw ban is the height of stupidity. Just start a "don't litter, throw it away" campaign and you'll solve 95% of the problem, without creating new ones.
- chmod600 4y agoThe main concern is ending up in the ocean, I guess. Not sure that's supported by numbers though.
- ars 4y agoThe number of straws that ended up in the ocean from countries that have banned it is indistinguishable from zero. If people actually cared (as opposed to wanting to look like the care) they would help start sanitation services (trash collection, and proper landfills) in Asia.
- Doxin 4y ago
- ectopod 4y agoThey used to be waxed back in the day. They worked, but if you were careless they would collapse. I think it's a reasonable trade off, but many people hated them.
- jjtheblunt 4y agoi think that's implied in the article, where the researcher wonders why the new straws last longer than what i think you're asking.