Canadians use approximately 57 million single-use plastic straws every day.1 That’s a huge amount of plastic that gets used for a few minutes before it winds up in landfills or choking up water bodies.
The reduction of plastic straws has been dubbed the low-hanging fruit of global plastic waste reduction. In 2018, Britain took a stance to ban all single-use plastics, including straws, while encouraging other Commonwealth nations to join the bandwagon.2
The City of Vancouver’s council voted to ban all single-use straws and foam takeout containers by June 1, 2019. Without legislation, companies such as A&W3 and Starbucks4 already have no-straw plans in place.
Even locally, some restaurants now ask you first if you’d like a straw before plunking one in your glass.
These policy changes, and their environmental impact, weren’t lost on the founders of Colibri Canada in St. Adolphe, sisters Sandra O’Malley and Lori Hawkins, who already specialize in the manufacturing of reusable products.
“We gave out reusable straws a few years ago as a free gift with Black Friday purchases,” says Hawkins. “Our customers loved them and we started getting emails asking if we would ever start selling them. That’s really when the journey began.”
Why silicone? Personal experimentation and exhaustive research and development shaped the idea.
“We used stainless steel, glass, and bamboo straws in our household, but we were concerned about the damage to our kids’ teeth,” Hawkins explains. “Then we discovered silicone straws, but they were all made in China. Finally we found a factory in Canada that could manufacture them for Colibri.”
Colibri’s silicone straws currently come in one size and four colours. The straws are 10.5 inches long, making them great for tall tumblers. Customers who would like a shorter straw can simply cut them down to the desired length. The straws are available in a four-pack with a brush cleaner for $16 or a two-pack for $8.
The straws are easy to clean and maintain for daily use. Colibri sells a handy straw brush to clean the inside (also made in Canada), or the straws can go in the dishwasher or boiling water for sterilization.
“We like that they are slightly translucent, so you can see if anything is stuck inside,” adds Hawkins.
Apart from being fun and bendy, the soft flexibility of silicone straws also makes them better candidates for folks with developmental delays, tremors, or additional feeding needs.
“Many restaurants have stopped offering plastic straws, which is great for the environment but not very inclusive for those who need to use them to safely consume their drinks,” says Hawkins. “I like that we can provide a safe, comfortable option for people who need it and we would like to start working with restaurants to make our straws available to customers.”
According to Hawkins, some consumers have been saying that once you’ve started using silicone straws, the old plastic kind feels bad in your mouth. Of course, the Colibri sisters have solutions to help people get onboard with the trend.
“Bring your straws with you,” says O’Malley. “We make reusable bags that you can put your straws in and keep in your bag or car, then when you’re out and about you have your straw with you.”
“I recommend keeping a small bag with cutlery, cloth napkins, cups, reusable bags and a few straws in your vehicle so you’re ready to save the planet when hunger strikes,” Hawkins adds.
So far, the sisters say the straws have been selling like hotcakes, with increasing demand across the country.
“We sold out of our first shipment within a few weeks,” O’Malley says. “Many of our stores have already started placing re-orders.”
Colibri’s existing products, reusable snackbags and wet bags, are currently available in more than 900 stores across Canada, including nearby shops such as Vita Health, Bulk Barn, Tiny Treehugger, Generation Green, Fort Whyte Alive, and McNally Robinson. The sisters anticipate that most of these stores will be bringing in the straws over the course of 2019. The future looks green and bright for this sipping trend.
“There are so many ways to reduce single-use plastics,” Hawkins says. “I think the first step is to start with what you can and build from there. Reusable shopping bags instead of plastic bags, reusable snack bags instead of Ziploc bags, and reusable straws instead of disposable straws can make a big difference. Once people really start to pay attention, they’ll find that every small change makes a big difference.”
