People bitch and moan about straws. But this thought occurred to me recently, why don’t they offer reusable ones instead and just wash it with other tableware?
People bitch and moan about straws. But this thought occurred to me recently, why don’t they offer reusable ones instead and just wash it with other tableware?
Except any annoying kitchen task that can solved by specialized but not crazy expensive equipment will be.
Like, I don’t think a kitchen would bother trying to automate silverware rolling. (I just looked it up. Equipment exists, but not published prices. I’ve seen pleny of staff doing by hand though.) I have, however, seen a thing that looked like 4 mini vertically spinning carwash-spinning-pole-of-towels thingies that bartenders were using to wipe the insides of glasses. (I just looked that up too. I think I found the model for $810 US.) No one would have that in their home, but not many people use any sort of straw at home.
So what I’m saying is that a specialized dishwasher for durable steel straws doesn’t seem hard to design or expensive to manufacturer. I feel OP was hoping for more innovation.
Cost/benefits unfortunately kick in. A machine like that takes training to use. It also requires maintenance. The costs Vs using paper straws is too high for most restaurants to push forward with.
Right, the true cost of the plastic isn’t something a business has to pay. They buy straws by the gross for pennies and there is no disposal fee.
The disposal problem isn’t free but no restaurant would willingly pay one.