In India, plastic pollution is a menace that is difficult to nip at the bud unless manufacturers understand the situation, take accountability, and find alternatives. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) estimates that India manufactures approximately 707 million metric tons of plastic products in a year. Plastic straw alternatives like metal, bamboo and paper straws exist, it is unlikely to find these in your neighbourhood juice corner, as they are more expensive and not usually found everywhere. As an entrepreneur, Sunam often read about global markets and saw that there was a great demand for bamboo straws. Although they manufacture bamboo straws, it is a little bit more expensive (Rs 7) and a lot of users were reluctant to reuse the bamboo straws. Since plastic straws take up to 200 years to decompose, it would help if we could find straws that were environment-friendly and easy on the pocket.
Wheat stubble straws – low cost, eco-friendly alternative to plastic straws!! 7 Sister Crafts, Assam offer straw made using wheat stubble. These unique straws are made using agricultural waste and cost less than Re. 1/- and decompose within 6 months. The stubble from harvested wheat has a naturally hollow stem. The stubble collected from the field is cut in uniform sizes, boiled and then dried. The products are made by local artisans at their homes. This is a wonderful substitute for plastic straws and it could curb the use of plastic while also preventing agricultural waste like wheat stubble served a purpose instead of being burned.
Link: • Automatic mechanism for feeding cotton sliver into the machine • Single lever operated, anyone can able to operate • Availability of moisture belt for the better shape of cotton wick • Compact, portable & affordable • Self-mounted adjustable legs for better work suitability according to the height of worker • Minimum noise pollution / suitable for household production • Color die roller can also paint after formation of cotton wick bulb
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