Eco Travel: The Last Straw, Made of Rice

Drinking straws made of rice are the perfect answer to eliminating plastic waste in the tourism sector.

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As restaurants, bars and hotels look for ways to eliminate single-use plastics, companies across South East Asia are already leading the way with drinking straws made of rice.

I was fascinated to find these straws – generally made of rice and tapioca – in bars and hotels throughout Vietnam on a recent visit.

Unlike plastic straws that take 200 years or more to decompose, these rice straws are totally natural, biodegradable, compostable, affordable – even edible.

And unlike paper straws, they don’t turn soppy after just a few sips. These rice straws are said to last for between four and 10 hours in a cold drink and for two to three hours in a hot beverage.

Vina Straws is one company in Vietnam that’s pioneering the use of rice straws, and eyeing the massive potential for global exports. You can read more about them here.

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