Seashell straws solve soggy problem at Saint Andrews pub
The Red Herring tries out an alternative to paper and plastic
What looks like plastic, but is biodegradable and doesn't make a soggy mess in your drink?
The answer is a straw made from seashells, now being adopted by some restaurants and bars, including the Red Herring Pub in Saint Andrews.
The pub took to social media on Monday to tell customers about the new product from a company called StrawFish.
Kevin Simmonds, owner of the Red Herring, said he happened upon the straws by browsing different websites.
"They're biodegradable. They're really good," he said. "It's part of our, you know, being conscious about the environment."
StrawFish is a Florida company, and according to its website the company uses discarded seashells for its products. The straws look like plastic, but that's where the similarity ends.
When the straws are "exposed to the elements" found in landfills and outdoors, the website says they attract microbes "that are hungry and ready to eat," allowing them to biodegrade in months.
Simmonds said after finding the product, one of his servers brought up a concern about how the straws might affect people with shellfish allergies.
So he contacted the company and was assured that anyone allergic to shellfish shouldn't be worried, since the shells are commercially cleaned and treated to remove any allergen proteins.
The straw debate — plastic versus paper — has been contentious to say the least.
While paper is the better choice environmentally, many will argue that the sogginess of the straws is an inconvenience.
Simmonds wants to make others aware of the product since it took him awhile to find this option.
"I think there's lots of opportunities for other businesses to pursue the same thing," he said.
"If we make other people aware, then maybe other people will, you know, jump on the bandwagon — other restaurants, other bars."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Prapti Bamaniya