Last year, an intense political debate arose over the use of plastic straws , culminating in the #StopSucking movement that fueled even more divide between the establishments and cities that chose to adopt the anti-plastic straw stance and people with disabilities who cited the various ways in which the decision ignores their needs. Fortunately, the creators behind the Rain Straw aim to make the act of sipping more sustainable and accessible for everyone.
According to the project’s Kickstarter campaign (which has been funded over 10 times its goal), the products are designed with a patent pending airlock system that gives the user the same experience of drinking from a typical plastic straw, eliminating many of the issues associated with those pesky paper alternatives that absorb liquid and disintegrate before you can enjoy your favorite beverage in its entirety.
The Rain Straws are BPA-free and safe to use in the dishwasher, but their design eliminates the typical tediousness we’ve come to associate with cleaning reusable straws by hand. The straw is made of two separate pieces that remain locked in place while drinking, but easily slide apart to offer complete access to the inside of the straw. You can simply rinse the two compartments or use a brush to ensure that there’s no unsightly germs, remnants or other gross gunk left behind. Sliding the two pieces back in places makes the straw whole again and ready for reuse.
Each straw is 10.5 inches long by 8.5 mm wide and come in various shades. The classic colors are obsidian, pearl, rose gold, slate and cappuccino. The bright shades are aqua, heather, coral, Tuscany and Carolina blue. The range of pastel shades includes mint, hyacinth, pineapple, cherry blossom and electric blue.
Pledging anywhere between $20 and $60 gets you from packs of five to 15 Rain Straws, which are estimated to start shipping in July 2019.
