10 weird, eco-friendly plastic straw alternatives you can buy right now

As annoying as it may be to you, the next time you walk into your favorite café, eatery, or bar, you may find that there are no straws. And we all know that straws right now are public enemy number one. Huge chains across the nation are scrambling to find substitutes for that bane of our very existence: the evil little plastic straw. Starbucks has already come up with an adult sippy cup to eliminate the straw altogether.

A friend of mine told me that in California, the hippy tree hugger enviro-wacko capital of the world, they’ve already started substituting plastic straws in certain restaurants with long noodles. Yes- you read that correctly, noodles.

Don’t be surprised then, that by the time you get to the middle of your Mojito you’ve got a soggy limp straw and a drink that tastes like pasta. I started looking into other alternatives that are currently in use. None of them are great. And that’s because the simple, unflappable, unbreakable, trusty plastic straw is the gold standard and can never be replaced. But look at some of these products you can buy right now if you’re already feeling guilty about choking fish.

• Aardvark straws: paper straws rigid enough not to break down in your drink biodegradable and 100% compostable.
• Lolistraws: edible paper compostable straws, marine degradable, seaweed based. (Eeeew).
• Harvest straws: these are straws made out of straw. So straw straws. Yeesh. These are simply all natural stalks of grain you sip through bamboo straws: straws made from whole bamboo stalks. washable and reusable.
• Be organic glass straws: made in Bali, reusable and can be cleaned and sterilized. (No word on the danger of glass shards if you drop them.)
• Stainless steel bendy straws: These stay cold while you drink your cold drink.
• Eco straws: in a wide range of materials including stainless steel, glass, natural bamboo and titanium.
• Silicone straws: non-toxic, food grade silicone.
• Ice straws: a mold allows you to make your own straws in the freezer. The mold is made of silicone rubber and will make six 8 inch straws of whatever liquid you like. (Won’t your lips freeze, though?)
• Noodle Straws: Extra long pasta tubes that you can dispose of right after they ruin your drinking experience.

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