How to Reuse Plastic Straws
The first wax-coated paper drinking straws were made in 1888 using Marvin Stone's patented spiral winding process (as reported by TheSoftLandingBaby.com). Today, plastic drinking straws are everywhere. Your kids bring them home from the fast-food restaurant. Every soda you buy at a convenience store has a straw in it. You have lunch with colleagues and everyone has an iced tea with a straw in it. Today's straws are typically made from number 2 or 5 plastic, both of which are recyclable. However, rarely do we recycle straws, and the landfills are paying the price. Reuse your plastic drinking straws to create interesting and crafty projects--and save the landfills.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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Create a lei using paper flowers, drinking straws and yarn. Cut the straws into 2-inch pieces. Draw flowers on the paper, cut them out and then color both sides of the paper. Punch a hole in the middle of each flower. Alternately thread a straw, then a flower, then a straw onto the piece of yarn. Once the lei is long enough (measure by holding it up to the person who is going to wear it), tie the string ends together and cut off the excess. This is fun for a luau birthday party.
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2
Construct a tower or some other structure if you have a surplus of bendy straws (the kind that bend at the neck so the user can drink more easily). Fold the end of a straw in half to make it smaller and then push it into the end of another straw. Continue until you have a long chain of straws. Now start bending and twisting until you have the creation you want. Join more chains together and your structure will get bigger and bigger. This is a great rainy-day activity for kids.
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3
Detangle messy cords by threading them into straws. If the cords on your blinds are tied into knots, threading a straw or two over them will keep things tidy. If your necklaces become entangled in your jewelry box, slide one necklace into a straw and lay it in one of the jewelry box drawers. No more hours spent trying to pick apart a necklace chain.
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4
Play music on a straw flute. Bite the end of a straw to flatten it out. Use scissors to cut the flattened part into the shape of a "V." The point of the "V" will be the tip of the straw. Put the "V" end of the straw in your mouth--with the "V" just inside your lips--and blow. Don't give up; it takes practice to produce sound with this instrument. Use different lengths of straws, which product different notes. If the notes aren't coming out, try spreading the "V" out a little.
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Tips & Warnings
Another way to keep the landfills free of plastic drinking straws is to buy paper, glass, stainless steel, bamboo or biodegradable straws, available from companies who produce eco-friendly products.
