Employee Amber Hissey says customers dining at Rocco's Tacos Restaurant request eco-friendly straws.
"Straws are a huge deal for people especially being from South Florida. A lot of people are environmentally conscious. I get asked all of the time if we are going to switch to paper straws."
Now the restaurant has paper straws. The company, FarfromBoring Promotions found there was a demand for these types of straws, realizing plastic straws cause harm to sea life.
Founder Robert Stillman said, "And when they end up in landfills and without biodegrading they find their way into the waterways and then they pollute our oceans and they last forever."
These straws are made out of paper that will last long enough to enjoy your drink. They're biodegradable within 4-6 weeks and gluten free.
"You're not tasting cardboard or paper in your mouth and our paper straws last 3 hours or more whereas the ones on the market now, people are finding that the last 10, 15 minutes. It's about protecting the environment. You've seen all of the stories we all know what's going on. And we are seeing the sea turtles, the dolphins, plant life, sea life in general really deteriorating at a rapid pace. We are trying to do our small part to reverse that," said Stillman.
Customers and employees like Amber are happy the restaurant owner has made the change.
"Our bags are made out of recycled material, we did away with all of the plastic to-go bins, now they are the mesh. He's really doing a good job with not trying to leave a footprint."
The company says other clients are starting to use the straws. They include Johnny Mangoes in Jupiter, Rebel House in Delray/Boca Raton, Farmers Table in Delray/Boca Raton, and Guanabanas in Jupiter to name a few.
FarFromBoring Promotions' straws are distributed in Florida through Opici Family Distributors and nationally through paperstrawwholesalers.com
