Eat the straw after finishing your drink

Eco-friendly choice: An employee showing the rice straws that were introduced and used at the Penang International Green Conference Exhibition at Gurney Paragon.

GEORGE TOWN: It’s time to ditch the plastic straws for go-green tubes for the sake of mother nature.

Made from rice and tapioca, the environmental-friendly straws are edible but tasteless, said Ricestraws IT director Anddrew Loh, 45.

“The bottom part when immersed in tdrinks will taste a bit starchy while the upper section will be crispy like chips.

“The straws, made from natural ingredients, do not contain any additives and will decompose completely in 90 days and can also be turned into animal feed or fertiliser.

“The straws can last for two to five hours in hot water and about five to 10 hours in cold water, ” he said when met at Penang International Green Conference & Exhibition (PIGCE) 2019 in Gurney Paragon yesterday.Loh added that by producing rice straws, the company has helped to complete the ecosystem cycle.

“We use broken rice which people hardly eat. They are usually used to make bee hoon (noodles).

“When we use paper straws, we are actually cutting down more trees, ” he said.

Loh said the rice straws come in three sizes, and cater mostly for bubble tea lovers.“We are planning to produce cups, bowls, stirrers and cutlery made of rice and tapioca too in the future, ” he said.

Meanwhile, Penang welfare and caring society committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the company had researched and developed edible straws since last year.

“Since the state government started the no single-use plastic green initiative last year, the company was keen on creating edible straws, ” he said.