STRAWS!!!

When a straw leaves a bitter taste in your mouth…

Its amazing to see how quick a campaign can launch something to the public via social media and how quick people respond to it and share it and sadly just dies off silently again. What a “catastrawphe” as many called it.
A few months ago, various campaigns started calling out to many and all businesses in South Africa to put down their drinking straws and help save our seas from pollution. As many are aware we at Salinas try our utmost best to participate in a greener environment by recycling, saving water etc.

It was fascinating to see how many people and businesses jumped at the opportunity to support the cause by introducing various solutions to this problem, it went from stainless steel straws that you could put in your handbag or pocket after use and take it where ever you went then came the bamboo straws , cardboard straws which got soggy after your third or fourth sip but surely the best I have heard of is a straw made of pasta which I personally think is genius and deserves a medal.
One specific straw ended up in most establishments being a bio degradable straw which according to the 100’s of representatives selling them disintegrates after 42 days (9 to 12 weeks)of being underground and that this will be the best option for all businesses to revert to at the cost of almost R1.10 a straw. Sounds perfect doesn’t it?

I took the liberty to challenge their statement and to see if what they were selling is in fact what they say it is. On the 15th of July 2018 I took one of the promising ”bio’’ straws and buried half of it under ground and left the other half to be exposed the elements of winter…exactly 42 days after I went back and was amazed to see what my experiment had in store for me. It looked the same as the day I took it out of the packet it came in.
Facts speak for themselves. Enough said.
At Salinas if you want a straw you need to ask for one.

BY

JP NEL