Did you know just in America, each day, we throw away over 500 MILLION plastic straws a day? For reference, I read that is enough to fill 125 school buses, end to end. The line would reach over a mile long.  With that amount of plastic straws, it's no surprise many are advocating for skipping the luxury altogether.

Despite the best efforts of campaigns meant to eradicate the use of straws, it’s ever more apparent that a reliable and sustainable alternative to plastic straws is needed. Plastic is unsustainable and there are clear ways in which we could still accommodate modern trends, but act far more sustainably for our planet.

5 Reasons to switch to Hemp Straws 

1. Hemp Straws are sturdy, making a great alternative to conventional straws

Hemp straws are sturdier than paper straws and a good alternative to traditional plastic straws. They are also more practical than paper straws because when dipped in a drink they do not disintegrate. You can use hemp plastic straws in the place of conventional plastic straws or paper straws. 

As awareness grows of the impact plastic has on earth, eco-friendly choices such as hemp products can be game-changers for the environment...and hemp straws can make a huge difference!

Straws made out of hemp can offer the same durability and strength as they contain bioplastics from hemp, which ensures they don’t disintegrate but also means they don't leave an after taste like steel or bamboo straw options.

2. Hemp Straws come from a renewable raw material

Hemp straws are plant-based. The industrial hemp plant is an annual crop that takes about 3 months to reach full maturity. Farming hemp requires few fertilizers and little water in comparison to other plants. This makes hemp a sustainable plant to grow, because it can be intercropped with food crops very easily. 

Since hemp drinking straws are plant-based, they are fully biodegradable. They are made from hemp fiber which is an extract of hemp stalks. The raw material is organic, therefore, hemp straws are sustainable. The straws are a good alternative to conventional plastic straws or paper straws.

3. Hemp Straws are 100% Biodegradable

Hemp straws come from 100% organic plant material. As such, it takes less than six months to fully decompose. This means that even if a hemp straw does end up in the ocean (sadly this will still happen), there will not be any sign of it in less than a year’s time!!! This is why hemp straws are a good alternative to conventional straws which are made from non-biodegradable plastic and harm our planet.

Because plastic straws contain polypropylene, which takes centuries to decompose and isn't easy to recycle, plastic straws account for land, beach, and ocean pollution across the world. Plastic straws end up choking marine wildlife because they breakdown into very small pieces but don’t decompose. Marine wildlife also can ingests the small pieces of plastic, resulting in obvious adverse effects since they cannot digest it.

4. Hemp Straws are Not Pricey to switch too

Because they are eco-friendly and biodegradable straws made out of hemp tend to be somewhat pricier than conventional plastic straws, however, the price is still quite comparable. For example, for 16 bucks, you can buy a whole 100 box of hemp straws! If one straw can last up to 3 weeks, that's well worth the $16 for those that love using straws but also want to do more to save the planet.

5. Hemp Farming Reverses Environmental Pollutants

Did you know the hemp plant absorbs carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and releases oxygen back into the atmosphere? It's true.

Since hemp grows quickly, has deep roots, and doesn't appear to be stunted by pollution, it's one of the best plants for the process of phytoremediation. This is the process scientists use to clean contaminated areas and soil from heavy metals, crude oil, pesticides, solvent explosives, toxins leaked from landfills, even nuclear fallout. Cernobyl in Ukraine is one such place using the hemp crop to clean the soil and heal the earth. 

Once harvested, the uses of the plant aren't over! The phytoremediated hemp can be used for industrial purposes without fear of the toxins contaminating the products. This is awesome because of the other 50,000 applications-- from cosmetics to textiles, food, medicine, paper products, biofuels, animal bedding and even building material. 

Final Thoughts

I hope this gives a little perspective into how a small change like swapping out plastics for hemp straws, could make a huge difference in the health of our planet.

We'd love to know what you think about hemp straws! Have you tried them yet? Share with us in the comments and let us know if so!
--Ready to snag some Hemp Straws? Check them out here!--

-Sources Cited-

Sensi Seeds. Hemp & The Decontamination of Soil. Article here

What is Hemp. The Future of Plastic Straws. Article here

Hemp vs. Chernobyle. Random Wordpress blog. Article here

High Times. How Cannabis Cleans up. Article here