The last straw? Paper rapidly replacing plastic, says Edmonton-area distributor

An Edmonton-areadistribution company says it can't keep up with the national demand forpaper straws.

A year ago, Sherwood Park-based Greenmunchwas supplying about one million paper straws per month to customers across Canada and the United States, says owner Phillip Jacobsen.

For thepast few months, the company has been selling about four million.

"Right now, we're turning away a lot of large customers," Jacobsen said Mondayin an interview with CBCRadio's Edmonton AM.

• Toronto bars starting to move away from plastic straws to save environment
• Edmonton restaurant ditches plastic straws

Jacobsen, whose company works with a Chinese manufacturer which is struggling to meet demand fromclients around the world,estimates itcould be distributing 40 to 50 million straws per month if it had the capacity.

"There's just this total global awareness," Jacobsen said. "We just saw a lot of mediareally, really looking at this issue and I think that was what made it take off."

Paper straws nothing new

Paper straws are nothing new, said Jacobsen, who remembers using them as a child growing up in the 1970s, before more durable plastic straws took over.

While the paper straws he distributesaremore durable than those of 40 years ago, they're still not going to last all day, Jacobsensaid.

"They're really meant for one drink."

When Greenmunch set out supplying paper straws seven years ago,the demand was mostly from niche customers "forward-thinking businesses,"Jacobsensaid.

Now, it's coming from major companies, he said.

• McDonald's to switch to paper straws in U.K., Ireland
• Starbucks plans to stop offering plastic straws by 2020

• A&W Canada to eliminate plastic straws from all restaurants

Most of Greenmunch's are based in Ontario and B.C., but in the past month, there has been moreinterest from western Canadian businesses, including chain restaurants, Jacobsen said.

"I think the straw is sort of the first product that is easy totackle to try to reduce," he said.

Jacobsen is now preparing for more competition in the paper straw business.

"There's going to be a lot more competitors now," he said. "I know every business that was selling a plastic straw is frantically trying to find a paper one."