The oceans are now littered with plastic trash. The garbage that we throw on land has made its way to the waters to the detriment of the marine life. Sea creatures often mistake these for food. The plastic can clog their digestive systems and kill them slowly. Some whales have already washed up on beaches with bellies full of plastic. Many individuals are trying to change their product consumption to help reduce these incidents. For example, they are using compostable plates, cups, and straws instead of the usual plastic disposable items. If you are buying Kraft paper straws, then consider the following:

Thickness

A lot of people are wary about using paper for their straws since these will be soaked in liquid for long periods. It’s true that you will need high quality compostable straws to prevent sogginess as this would render them useless. Most are wrapped in multiple layers to help them stay firm for hours. Inspect the thickness of the straws and compare items side-by-side. You can also rely on online reviews and friends’ recommendations if they have tried these products to know which ones last the longest.

Diameter

Make sure that you get straws of the right diameter for your needs. If all you are drinking is juice or similar beverages, then regular Kraft paper straws with a small diameter like 6mm should be fine. However, those who are drinking liquids of a thicker consistency should get a larger diameter for ease of use. Perhaps 10mm will do but it will depend on the liquid. You will need a particularly large diameter if drinking milk tea with pearls or the like. Something is bigger than 10mm is ideal.

Height

You should also consider the height of liquid’s container. How tall are your cups? Naturally, the straws should be much taller than these so that the user has enough space to sip at the top. Many of the shorter ones are less than 8 inches tall. The tallest ones are more than 10 inches tall. If you only need stirrers such as for coffee cups, then purchase these paper stirrers instead. They are typically smaller at 5 inches.

Non-toxic

Since these will be dipped in beverages, you want to make sure that they do not contain any toxic substances. They should not have any hidden plastics to improve firmness. Many won’t contain inks and will only undergo minimal treatment during processing to ensure safety.