People are turning against plastic straws, and a 32-year-old man has come up with a reusable bamboo alternative for the once ubiquitous and popular item that has become a symbol of throw-away culture.
Nguyen Van Mao was preparing to return to his hometown in the central province of Nghe An to visit his fourth bamboo drinking straw workshop that opened few months ago.
Bamboo straws aren’t recyclable because bamboo can’t be recycled. But overall they are 99 percent biodegradable. |
Mao, alias “Mao Meo” (Cat), said with a monthly production capacity of 3-5 million straws, the workshop is the biggest of his facilities.
The workshop in Nghe An, together with others in Hanoi, the southern province of Dong Nai and the Central Highland province of Gia Lai, are operating at full capacity to meet increasing orders from domestic and foreign partners, which amount to 6 million straws each month.
Mao officially began the production of bamboo straws earlier this year while running a bamboo flute company. But the idea for it had been in his mind for some time, going back to when he was a student at the Hanoi Architectural University.
It was about reducing plastic waste by reinventing the conventional straw in an eco-friendly way, using a naturally grown, biodegradable material like bamboo.
Bamboo straws unrecyclable but biodegradable
Mao said bamboo and rattan pipes are cut into pieces 15 to 25 cm long and dried at 120 degrees Celsius.
Although bamboo straws cost several times more than plastic varieties, they can be used for six months with regular cleaning and proper preservation. |
Each straw comes with a handy brush to clean it with. In order to ensure the longevity of the straws, after hand washing, you have to let them fully dry to prevent any water building up inside the straws and always store them in a well-ventilated area,” he added.
Bamboo straws aren’t recyclable because bamboo can’t be recycled. But overall they are 99 percent biodegradable, he said.
Mao’s bamboo straws are used by many hotels, restaurants and coffee shops nationwide, and exported to major markets like the US, Germany, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan.
He earns from 12-14 billion VND (516,000-602,000 USD) per month and employ about 200 people.
The first order was for 2,000 straws to be shipped to Hungary. After Mao’s products received a certificate of food safety and hygiene in Germany, foreign clients started visiting his workshop and placed orders for millions of straws.
Last March, Mao introduced his products to Taiwanese customers and businesses during a cultural exchange in Taiwan (China) and signed several contracts with local partners.
Asked about the difficulties of starting up, Mao said he had travelled hundreds of kilometres through mountainous areas by motorbike to find materials for production.
Nguyen Van Mao (left) and Nguyen Anh Dung, head of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (China) at the cultural exchange. |
He had to spend a huge amount of money promoting bamboo straws as plastic varieties are widely available and convenient. It also took time to raise public awareness of the benefits brought about by using environmentally-friendly products as well as the long-term harmful effects of plastic.
Mao said that although there are vast bamboo and rattan areas to source his business, they may be exhausted one day. Therefore, the exploitation must be selective and his company is implementing a project to plant bamboo and rattan trees.
He is also seeking ways to reduce the price of his straws in the domestic market in order to encourage more people to use them. Besides, he plans to produce more environmentally-friendly products from bamboo and rattan like spoons, forks, bowls and cups in the future.
Source: VNA