BENGALURU: While the civic agency and pollution control board are putting in all efforts to ban use of plastic in the city, many people still find ways to use it somehow. Plastic covers, bottles and straws are some of the commonly used items wherein doing away with plastic seems difficult.
However, a full stop may be put to the use of plastic straws in the city soon, thanks to two youngsters who are introducing castor plant stems as straws instead of plastic straws. Public relations professional Jagadish Reddy and Shiva Manjesh, who is a civil engineer, say castor plant straws are completely eco-friendly. The idea came to Manjesh when his parents told him that during earlier days, they would either drink coconut water without any straws or use the castor stem to sip it.
“My grandparents and parents are from Tumkur, but moved to Bengaluru later. Witnessing the increasing use of plastic, my parents said they used to drink any fruit juice with castor plant stem, and it could even be reused multiple times with no harmful effects. But as years passed, people stopped natural ways of life and started using single-use plastic straws instead,” said Manjesh.
Castor plants are readily available across the city. However, the two friends get it from a farmhouse in Tumakuru, where they cut stems from the plant and store it. “They can be used in two ways – either fresh as soon as they are acquired or after they are dried,” added Manjesh.
Reddy, 28, revealed that they have already given the straws to many vendors who are eager to make a switch to an eco-friendly lifestyle. “On Tuesday, at Dasarahalli Metro Station, we plan to give 500 straws to citizens and vendors of juice stalls to promote its use and spread awareness. If they require more, we will get it for them. It is free for anyone. We are not charging a single penny. All we want is Bengaluru to be plastic-free,” added Reddy.
The process
Step 1. Stems are cut from the plant.
Step 2. They are washed and cleaned thoroughly in normal temperature water.
Step 3. Next, they are placed in hot water with salt, and washed again to get rid of the dirt and kill bacteria.
Step 4. Dry straws are left to dry in the sun for a week. Fresh ones can be used immediately after the wash, and can stay up to 15 days.