Campaigns to ban the use of plastic straws have skyrocketed this year.. And while it’s easy to point out a problem, finding a lasting solution is easier said than done. That’s where this Shark Tank-famous start up comes in. LOLIWARE has come up with a brilliant and environmentally-friendly alternative that is not only better for the ocean than plastic, but comes in cute colors.
LOLISTRAW is the “world’s first edible, hyper-compostable, marine-degradable straw aimed at replacing plastic straws,” according to the start up’s IndieGoGo. You can enjoy your iced coffee and then eat the straw when you’re done. Don’t feel like eating a straw? That’s fine, it can be composted. It’s meant to go “from straw to soil in 60 days or less.” Even if it goes through normal disposal channels making its way to the ocean, it dissolves. In fact, it’s made from seaweed-based material, so it’s kind of full circle.
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LOLIWARE, co-founded by Chelsea Briganti and Leigh Ann Tucker, first incited a bidding war on Shark Tank in 2015 with their edible cup. Since then, they have been trying to change the way people think about the plastic they throw away. 500,000 straws are thrown away everyday in the United States alone. Rather than seeing that as an overwhelming and sad statistic, Briganti and Tucker chose to see it as an opportunity to create a product that could have a huge impact on the environment.
Taking their creativity one step further, they are developing flavored straws. Imagine a straw with a hint of lemon in your iced tea, or vanilla with cold brew.
They’ve surpassed their funding goal on IndieGoGo, but you can still contribute and get some LOLISTRAWs of your own! By this time next year, we could all be drinking out of colorful, flavored, environmentally friendly straws.