Wonder Greener uses aquatic plants as the raw material for straws, offering an alternative to disposable plastic straws and benefiting the environment, while also creating environmental and economic benefits for farmers.
Although Taiwan has implemented restrictions on the use of plastic, up to 3 billion plastic straws are still used every year. Environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic straws cannot fully replace the convenience of disposable straws due to a variety of problems, for example they are difficult to clean, easily collect grime, are not easily portable, and cannot reliably pierce the plastic lid of beverages.
Completely Decomposable Straw Made from Aquatic Plants
This straw is made entirely from raw materials derived from aquatic plants, without any additives. It will decompose in 3-6 months after use, much like fallen leaves. This means there are no concerns regarding residual microplastics or other harmful substances.
Growing Process Friendly to Farmers and the Environment
The biggest difference between straws made from aquatic plants and other disposable straws is that aquatic plants sequester carbon during the planting process. The special qualities of Lepironia Articulata in the Cyperaceae family ensure that the planting process is free of pesticides and herbicides. Moreover, because the planting takes place on abandoned farmland, it increases land use efficiency and helps offer farmers a more stable income.
Maximizing Resource Use During Processing
The sand and soil on the aquatic plants are washed away using a filtered water circulation system, which reduces water waste by 97%. The parts of the aquatic plants that are washed away or cut off can be returned to the fields as compost.
Benefits
- Revitalizes odd patches of land, abandoned farmland, and paddy fields unsuitable for commercial crop farming by planting aquatic plants.
- Provides economic incentives to rural areas, and helps attract young farmers to return to their hometowns.
- Monitoring showed that protected wild species can be found in the planting areas. Aquatic paddy fields also serve the functions of conserving groundwater and regulating microclimates.
- Each 20-centimeter aquatic straw can sequester 0.3 grams of carbon [1].
[1] Data from the Instrument Center of Chung Hsing University.