This year, the biggest change for milk tea lovers is that they can no longer drink from ordinary plastic straws.

It has been more than three months since the stringent plastic ban was officially implemented. At present, most tea shops in Beijing have replaced plastic straws with paper straws, which, while better for the environment, is disliked by their loyal consumers everywhere. On social media, the complaints about paper straws have gradually even overshadowed the discussion for environmental protection. Some people said, “The straw just rots in the cup.” “Drinking with a paper straw is like eating a toilet paper roll.” “The new straws have successfully made me quit drinking milk tea.”

• Difficult to Poke into the Cup with Paper Straws?

The paper straw is made by rolling paper into a tube. Although it feels hard, it’s still softer than plastic, making it difficult to poke through the plastic cover on top of the cup.

• Weird Taste with Paper Straws?
  

Some have even ended up drinking milk tea from a bowl

Some people may find paper straws to have a weird taste. Fun fact: that taste is caused by pulp. No wonder someone feels like chewing textbooks!

• Paper Straws Get Limp While Drinking?
  

When enjoying drinks, especially hot drinks, the paper straws will soften and even disintegrate in the cup. “The pleasure of a cup of milk tea used to last for two hours, but now I have to finish drinking it within half an hour, otherwise the straw will rot in my mouth.” said a milk tea lover.

But wait…Is paper straw really friendly to the environment?

The degradation cycle of plastic can be as long as hundreds of years, and it only takes 3 to 4 months for paper to be decomposed in the natural environment. This is why stores use paper straws instead of plastic ones. Paper straws are also made by felling trees and processing, and after use, they do not have the value of secondary use and cannot be recycled, which means they also need to be disposed of by landfill or incineration. Environmentally friendly paper straws are still not 100% environmentally friendly.

So, what about other materials? There are also many merchants who choose PLA straws. They can complete the degradation in as little as 90 days, and the experience of use is not much different from that of plastic straws. However, the cost of PLA straws is about twice that of paper straws, and the supply of raw materials is limited, making it difficult to promote on a large scale.

There are also some stores that take a different approach. For example, McDonald’s and Starbucks choose to use direct drinking cup lids. This perfect design directly eliminates the need for straws.

Moreover, some consumers choose to buy stainless steel straws, which can be reused. After all, the core of the use of plastic products is “disposable”, and the “plastic ban” aims to reduce the use of disposable products.

KEEP READING: Single-Use Plastic Bags Are Now Banned, Here Are 5 Reusable Alternatives

Photo: Pexels, Baidu Image，NetEase News，China Youth Daily