London's first paper straw factory was today hailed a “huge step forward” in the war against single-use plastic as it opens for business.
The first biodegradable straws were coming off a specialist machine at the Walthamstow factory of Paper Straws London, one of the first of its kind in Europe. They are made of paper, glue and ink all sourced from the UK and Europe, and come in boxes made of recycled card, costing about £3.20 for 250 straws.
They passed stringent European tests earlier in the year and now the firm will send their first batches out to potential customers. By the end of the year, Paper Straws London hopes to be producing one million biodegradable straws every week for use across London.
Husband-and-wife founders Tim and Anna Clifton, from Barnet, are behind the eco-friendly operation. Mr Clifton, 49, said the launch would help reduce importing paper straws from China.
“Today is a big day for us,” he said. “At the moment, most of the paper straws used in this country are made in China, which obviously isn’t great for the carbon footprint. For many, paper straws are something produced in the 50s and 60s, and so are a step back.
“But we’re making them here now which is a huge step forward... shipping paper straws in from the other side of the world defeats the object of trying to help the environment.” The couple founded Cliftons bookbinders and paper converters 20 years ago and have been working out of their Walthamstow factory ever since. They launched Paper Straws London in June after learning about the country’s single-use plastic problem through campaigns such as the Standard’s The Last Straw.
“Single-use plastic became a big issue,” Mr Clifton said. “Sky did their campaign, the Standard did, and there was the David Attenborough show Blue Planet, which made a big impact. We have our background in paper, so we thought there might be something we can do here.” The couple bought their straw machine from China after a research trip there earlier this year.
The Standard’s Last Straw campaign has, for the past year, urged London clubs, bars, restaurants and other venues to ban single-use plastic straws, as two billion straws are thrown away each year in the capital. Plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds will now be banned in the UK within a year.
