To replace plastic straws, Penang, Malaysia allows biodegradable straws
Reported on May 20, the Penang Island City Council has completely banned restaurants from providing disposable plastic straws since January this year, and violators will face a fine of RM250. Operators who think paper straws are not suitable are now allowed to use straws made of biodegradable plastic instead.
Chen Shuxiang, the alternate chairman of the Standing Committee on Licensing and Public Health of the Penang Island City Council, said that many catering operators on the market currently use straws made of biodegradable plastics, and the Penang Island City Council has instructed law enforcement officers to accept the use of such "environmentally friendly" straws.
In an interview with Guangming Daily today, Chen Shuxiang, who has discussed this matter many times, said that the Penang Island City Council had consulted the Penang Green Agency on this matter. The agency confirmed that this type of straw degrades faster than traditional plastics, is more environmentally friendly, and is an acceptable alternative. "We have also discussed this issue several times internally, including with Mayor Datuk Rajandran, and the result of the discussion is that such straws can be used in the market."
As for how operators can prove that they are using biodegradable plastic straws when facing enforcement units' bans, Chen Shuxiang encouraged operators to ask suppliers for relevant information about the straws and post them on the counter or stall to facilitate enforcement officers to identify whether they meet the regulations.
"Of course, if enforcement officers have doubts, they will also ask the restaurant to provide relevant samples for laboratory testing."
Chen Shuxiang said that the department has carried out surprise inspections several times from January to the 6th of this month, and found that many restaurants and hawkers violated relevant regulations, so 125 tickets were issued.
Environmentally friendly materials decompose within six months.
Chen Meiling, general manager of the Penang Green Corporation, said that biodegradable plastic straws are made of environmentally friendly materials such as polylactic acid and polybutylene succinate. These raw materials not only have excellent performance, but can also decompose naturally under certain conditions to reduce harm to the ecology.
She said that the raw materials of these straws are different from traditional plastics. They can be decomposed by general microorganisms or bacteria and eventually converted into water, carbon dioxide or other organic matter.
"Our organization has conducted internal tests and found that compared with traditional plastic straws, the decomposition cycle of biodegradable straws is significantly shorter. They can be completely degraded in about 5 to 6 months and will not leave any residue in the soil."
"Despite this, we still encourage businesses to give priority to using paper straws because they degrade quickly and are more environmentally friendly."
Regarding paper straws, many businesses complained that the price of the straws was relatively high and that they would soften easily after being soaked in liquid for a long time, affecting the user experience.
