Thirty-two-year-old Nghe An resident Nguyen Van Mao recently opened his fourth bamboo drinking straw manufacturing site at Gai Lai. Overall, his network of production facilities and 200 employees produce 3-5 million straws per month.
Mao, who also runs a bamboo flute business, tells Vietnam+ his straws are more expensive than traditional plastic straws, but they can be used for six months. “In order to ensure the longevity of the straws, after hand washing, you have to let them fully dry to prevent any water building up inside the straws and always store them in a well-ventilated area,” he added. Mao has sold his straws in major markets, including the United States, Germany, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. He plans on expanding into spoons, forks, bowls and cups in the future.
“I intend to create a full collection of eco-friendly products that give consumers an affordable alternative to using plastic ones. I hope that youngsters don’t just switch to bamboo straws because it’s the new trend and then revert back to plastic,” Mao said.
According to the United Nations, 300 million tons of plastic are produced annually and less than a tenth of that is recycled.