Paper Straws Q&A

Helen Rupp, founder and CEO of The Rubbish Whisperer answers your questions about paper straws.

Why use paper straws? There’s no excuse for plastic straws any more. Have you seen the turtle video? Our paper straws are durable, food safe, look great, are flexible and don’t pollute. Why wouldn’t you use paper straws?

Are paper straws are better than plastic? Absolutely! Plastic straws pollute. They are in the top 10 items found worldwide in beach cleanups and they don’t break down in the ocean so they can be eaten by marine life.

What are paper straws made of? Our paper straws are made of paper and packaged in cardboard – no plastic lining, no beeswax, no coatings.

Are paper straws lined with plastic? Some paper straws are lined with plastic but straws supplied by The Rubbish Whisperer are never plastic lined.

Are paper straws wrapped in plastic? All our paper straws are packaged in cardboard – what’s the point of buying paper straws if they are plastic wrapped?

Are paper straws safe?Our paper straws are made from 100% FDA and EU food-grade approved, and the inks are safe for food contact.

How long do paper straws last? Our Aardvark paper straws last up to 2 hours in your drink – that’s 20x as long as Chinese made paper straws.

How well do paper straws work? Seven Sharp tested our straws - they really do work!

Are paper straws environmentally friendly? Yes, our paper straws are made from sustainable forest and start breaking apart in the ocean in 3 days.

Are paper straws biodegradable? We only sell Aardvark paper straws because they are proven to biodegrade on land and in the ocean, they start falling apart in sea water in 3 days and break down within 6 months in a marine enviroment:

Can you recycle paper straws? Even though our straws are made out of paper, most recyclers will not accept food contaminated paper products so please compost your paper straws.

Are paper straws sustainable? Aardvark paper straws are made from sustainably managed forests.

Where can I buy paper straws? The Rubbish Whisperer supplies paper straws to NZ and the Pacific Islands.

Where to buy bulk paper straws? We can provide 350 straws to over a million straws

Where to buy wrapped paper straws? The Rubbish Whisperer will be providing wrapped paper straws in the next few months. Let us know you’re interested and we’ll add you to the pre-sale list.

What can I make with paper straws?

Our paper straws are so durable that they’re better for crafts than plastic straws. Check out some of our crafting ideas. We can supply discounted bulk crafting straws to schools – get in touch to find out more.