From October 1 this year, according to the "Implementation Measures on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution", non-degradable disposable plastic straws are prohibited in the catering industry in Zhejiang province, and non-degradable disposable plastic tableware is prohibited in the catering service in built-up areas and scenic spots above the county level.

quietly, all tea shops and fast food restaurants have changed into paper straws or degradable plastic straws.

However, the paper straws that are "new to the Jianghu" are frequently found in hot searches because they are spit out.

some people say that the taste of paper straws is very bad, like eating toilet paper, and it will be soaked soft.

some people say that because paper straws are fragile, they sometimes blend with desserts.

Some netizens said that thanks to the paper straw, she quit drinking milk tea and biting straws.

So, is the paper straw really as fragile as the netizen

said? On October 4th, the hourly journalist also tried several experiments.

Water absorption experiment at room temperature:

There is indeed water absorption, but the amount is really small

The reporter bought a bag of paper straws and a pack of 51 kraft paper straws from the online merchant platform, which is generally 11-15 yuan.

the first thing I got, the reporter cut off a straw and found that a paper straw was divided into three layers, the outer layer was log color and the inner two layers were white, which were formed by spiral superposition.

According to the packaging, the paper straw is made of virgin wood pulp paper, and the service temperature is 1-45℃.

The first experiment that the reporter did was the water absorption experiment at room temperature. We transferred two glass bottles into the same amount of tap water, one of which was inserted into 11 paper straws, and the other bottle was not treated.

after p>15 hours, the reporter took out the straw and found that the water level dropped obviously by 2-3mm.

The reporter took out one of the straws and found that it was divided into three states. Among them, the submerged part has been completely softened, and there is obvious color change after water absorption, and it is deformed when pinched; About 8 cm in the middle, there is also water absorption, but the color change is not obvious; The top is about 3-4 cm, which has not been invaded by water and remains in its original state.

From this experiment, we can see that paper straws do absorb water, but because the material has good water resistance, and the water capacity is limited, the water absorption is not large, so netizens will not drink less milk tea because of using paper straws.

High-temperature water absorption experiment:

Some of them are "falling apart" and some are "firm all the time"

Later, the reporter went to a nearby milk tea shop and found that most of the beverage shops used paper straws, except for a little bit, Xiaojuan Village in CuO adopted degradable plastic straws, and McDonald's cancelled straws.

after collecting paper straws from some shops, we conducted the second experiment: high temperature water absorption experiment.

due to the limitation of the mouth of the test glass, we finally used straws purchased from Starbucks, KFC, Chabaidao, Keshamier and online merchant platforms.

In this experiment, we filled the glass with hot water of about 85℃ and inserted five paper straws into it.

11 minutes later, there was obvious delamination at the bottom of the straw and Keshamier purchased by the online merchant platform, and the outermost layer had floated.

after p>21 minutes, it is obvious that Shamir's paper straw adopts a four-layer paper structure, while the paper straw purchased by the online merchant platform has a three-layer structure, and the structure has "fallen apart". At the bottle mouth, we can also see that KFC's straw absorbs water the fastest, and the suction line has exceeded the bottle mouth.

after p>31 minutes, we took out five straws.

The results show that the paper straws purchased by Samir and the online merchant platform have been completely layered, and the layering phenomenon exceeds the waterline and is close to half the length of the straws. Among the five straws, KFC has the highest suction line, while Starbucks and KFC have obvious softening phenomenon. There is almost no change in the straw of Chabaidao, and it has been left for about 2 minutes after dehydration, and even became much drier.

after taking out the straw, the reporter also tried to drink a mouthful of hot water soaked in the paper straw for 31 minutes, and there was no obvious paper smell.

so why do paper straws absorb water and become soft? How long should the drinks with paper straws be finished ...

With regard to all kinds of problems with paper straws, the reporter consulted Manager Chen, the quality control manager of Yiwu Shuangtong Commodity Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Shuangtong), the straw producer purchased by the online merchant platform.

Is the paper straw soft because it absorbs water?

Manager Chen said that the paper used in the paper straw is cellulose wood pulp. This hydrophilic raw material does absorb some water after being soaked in water for a long time. "But spreading and softening also involves technology and glue, not a single problem."

yes, there is glue in the paper straw.

to make a paper straw, you need several layers of paper, and the paper is bonded with glue. For example, some paper straws produced by Shuangtong always have four layers of paper, which are thicker and harder and can be better poked into milk tea.

"The glue we use is food-grade and won't harm our health." Manager Chen revealed that the national standard for food-grade glue is currently being drafted.

the bigger question of glue is: how high can it withstand?

different processes and materials are used, and the temperature that the straw can withstand is also different. Once the temperature is too high, the molecular structure of the glue will change, and after losing its viscosity, the straw will naturally spread out.

Manager Chen said frankly, "It's not good if it's scattered. This is a functional defect of the product."

At present, there are straws on the market that can withstand up to 45 degrees Celsius, while the straws produced by twins reach 85 degrees Celsius. Even so, Manager Chen suggested that everyone finish drinking within 45 minutes to 1 hours.

Manager Jiang, the head of Shuangtong's domestic market, mentioned: "In fact, we will also look at the online spit and see how to improve the straw."

after the plastic ban, the sales of paper straws have really increased. Restaurants, tea shops, and supermarkets have all placed orders, and production has been scheduled until April this year.

Even stainless steel and glass straws are selling better. Manager Jiang said: "The sales volume is not increasing much, mainly because of the need in fixed places such as coffee shops, bars and families. After all, cleaning and carrying are a problem." Further reading: Shanghai supermarkets ban disposable plastic bags, even if you pay for them! How to pack seafood? Official response

From February 31, 2117, unconsciously, the "plastic restriction order" has been implemented for more than ten years, and everyone is used to bringing their own shopping bags or paying for plastic bags in supermarkets.

But

From this year, major shopping malls and supermarkets in Shanghai will no longer provide disposable plastic shopping bags

Even if you pay for them

According to the Implementation Plan for Further Strengthening Plastic Pollution Control in Shanghai:

■ By the end of 2121, shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores and other places and various exhibition activities in the whole city,

■ Non-degradable plastic shopping bags are prohibited in food packaging and take-away service.

In terms of coffee and tea,

many well-known brands

have also used paper bags as take-out bags

Many netizens expressed their support for the ban on plastic bags

Some even prepared

shiny shopping bags

However, some netizens wondered:

How to pack seafood and meat products?

The official answer is coming.

How to pack fresh food and cooked food? Can small shops and convenience stores still use plastic bags?

a: from October 1, 2121, the use of disposable plastic shopping bags (including degradable and non-degradable plastic shopping bags) will be banned in shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores and other places and various exhibition activities throughout the city, and small shops and convenience stores will not be restricted. For hygiene and food safety purposes, plastic pre-packaged bags, roll-up bags and fresh-keeping bags used to hold bulk fresh food, cooked food, pasta and other commodities are not included in this restriction.

it is recommended that the general public bring their own environmental protection bags to the above places for shopping, and disposable plastic shopping bags will no longer be provided at the cashier's desk in the above places.

can I still use plastic bags for food packaging and take-out service?

a: from October 1, 2121, the use of non-degradable plastic shopping bags is prohibited in catering packaging and take-away service.

Tip: Meituan told reporters that the platform currently does not charge extra fees for packaging bags. Since October 1, degradable shopping bags have been used. At the same time, the platform has started to research and develop biodegradable shopping bags with cooperative suppliers, and has carried out batch testing and gradual replacement in the city's sites. It is expected that biodegradable shopping bags will be fully covered in Shanghai within one year. Although the cost is high, it will still be provided free of charge in theory.

Can you still use disposable plastic bags for online delivery services in the same city on supermarkets such as Box Horse and Dingdong?

a: at present, there is no prohibition on online delivery services in the same city for supermarkets such as Boxma and Dingdong. However, the "Implementation Plan" proposes that platform enterprises such as e-commerce and take-away should strengthen the management of settled merchants, increase the option of "no tableware" for consumers to choose, formulate an implementation plan for the reduction of disposable plastic products, and release the implementation to the society every year.

Tip: The reporter learned from an interview with Box Horse that since October 1, 2121, Shanghai Box Horse offline stores stopped selling disposable plastic shopping bags and upgraded them to paper bags or non-woven bags. At the same time, the plastic bags used in online distribution will be gradually upgraded to more environmentally friendly materials in the future. At present, there is no charge, and we will inform you if there is any adjustment.

whether it's a plastic restriction order or a plastic ban order

in the final analysis, I hope everyone can

use less plastic bags at ordinary times

reduce unnecessary waste

protect the environment from me.