Science and Tech

Ice straws, the curious idea to end polluting plastic straws (video)

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Ice Straw It’s a really simple idea, which in the opening video of the news seems to work very well. It is about replacing polluting plastic straws with… ice straws.

In the United States alone, 500 million plastic straws are thrown away every day. In the beaches around the world it is estimated that they are decomposing 8 billion of these straws. Plastic that ends up in the sea, eaten by fish in the form of microplastic, and that we then eat when we eat fish or shellfish.

It is estimated that every week we ingest through food, or the plastic objects we use to store it, 5 grams of microplastics: what weighs a credit card. Microscopic chemicals that are not yet known how they affect our organs.

On average, each person uses one 38,000 plastic straws throughout his life, which also represents an economic expense.

Currently, more and more alternatives made of cardboard, recyclable paper, and even bamboo or wood are being used. But there is an even more ecological… and refreshing version: the ice straws.

Ice straws to avoid polluting… and refresh

Ice Straw is a silicone mold cylindrical structure with a bar in the middle, and a stopper. All you have to do is fill it with water, put it in the freezer… and in half an hour you have a ice straw.

As the mold is made of silicone, you just have to slide it to remove the ice tube without breaking it. There are three different models: Cocktail, the shortest and finest. Classic, standard size, and Boba, the thickest.

According to their creators these ice straws They last longer than people think. They can hold as long as a drink lasts.

In addition to helping you drink, cool the drink. And when you finish you can eat it, or let it dissolve in the drink itself. Best of all, it doesn’t have to be just water. You can create these ice straws with juice, carbonated drink, chocolateor whatever you want.

Their only handicap is that they seem more appropriate for summer. In winter, ice is not so appetizing, except in very specific drinks.

Ice Strawthe ice strawshas already been financed in kickstarter. Each silicone mold cost 18 euros, and can create up to 100,000 straws, before wearing out. They will start shipping in May, in time for summer.

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