I got a lovely surprise in the mail the other day.For participating in Fake Plastic Fish's Show Your Plastic Challenge (the one where I collect and weigh all the plastic garbage I create), I was entered in a draw to win a set of Glass Dharma straws.
Amazingly, I won! :)
I'm so excited to use them although truth be told I might not use them for a few months. We're expecting snow tonight so I'm more in the mood for tea and hot chocolate than tall cold drinks. But I will start to carry one of them in my handy utensil case for those I NEED a cocktail days.
I wasn't surprised to see that Beth (Fake Plastic Fish) sent the straws to me without using any plastic. But I was certainly intrigued as I'd only seen bubble pack envelopes before (the bubble part being plastic) for this sort of thing. As you can see, not only are there no plastic bubbles but there is also no plastic tape. I dropped Beth a line to thank her for the straws and to ask what products she used to mail them to me. This is what she wrote back:
"I believe the envelope was a Jiffy padded mailer and the tape is just ordinary paper tape. It is water activated, but I don't use a machine to apply. I just run it under the sink. You could also run a wet sponge over it. I like the fact that it's not coated with plastic, as some paper tapes are."
I followed the link for the jiffy mailers and found out that they are made with 90% recycled content and 50% of that is post consumer. Nice. And I can definitely attest that the padding is effective given that I have 4 gorgeous unbroken straws in my dining room right now.
When I run out of the bubble pack envelopes I currently have (none are new - I reuse ones that are sent to me), I'll def. be buying some jiffy mailers. I will of course reuse this one from Beth first. :)
I'd also like to get some of that paper tape. Which has got me thinking about how I might wrap up Christmas presents this year without using plastic tape. Any suggestions?
6 comments:
I kep trying to leave this comment all day yesterday from my mobile phone (since I was out of town) and it just wouldn't go through. Here's another try from my computer.
I'm so glad you like the straws!
I actually did used one for hot tea a while back at the Green Festival. I had lost my travel mug with lid (which I wrote about recently) and brought just a regular mug from the kitchen. With the glass straw (which doesn't melt from heat the way plastic does) I was able to walk around and drink at the same time without spilling hot tea on myself.
:-)
Hi Beth! You know its funny but I never would have thought of using a straw for a hot beverage. But what a good idea. I'm tempted to use one now even with my travel mug. Especially for the bus!
Thanks again. :)
Congrats on the straw win!!
Yes, our straws are great for hot drinks and they're dishwasher safe as well.
U-line carries a paper tape with preassure sensitive adhesive that we use. Not quite as easy to use as plastic, but easier than the paper tape that needs to be moistened. and the dispensor for that is only $30.00.
Thanks David! I'm going to do a google search for that tape you mentioned.
And thanks for creating the amazing Dharma Straws!
I wrapped a present in a piece of re-used tissue paper that I tied with a piece of twine. I reused a small envelope made out of a page out of a dictionary. It had been used to package something I bought at Idle Hands craft sale from ohmyampersand.etsy.com
I tied the beautiful handmade label to it with a short message and voila - no tape, no plastic.
I need that tape! I am always amazed at how many packaging issues we still have to conquer.
The "sipper" size glass straw has a narrow opening that I find is perfect for sipping hot beverages. The beverage actually cools slightly as it rises through the straw. Using the straw avoids front tooth staining from coffee, teas and such.
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