You’ve had it with disposable plastic straws.

They are bad for the environment, unrecyclable, and often end up in our bodies of water waiting for their unsuspecting victims.

You’re ready to replace these plastic abominations with a reusable variety.

Welcome to my review of eco-friendly glass straws, I’ve been expecting you.

I am confident that by the end of this article,  you will have no doubt whether you should make some room on your shelf for glass straws or keep searching for different reusable alternatives.

This ain’t your ordinary product review. I get down and dirty with these glass straws. 

Here is a hit list of topics we will explore as we deep-dive into the world of reusable glass straws:

• Product Description
• Performance
• Maintenance
• Product Packaging
• Ingredients
• Label Claims
• Sustainability Model
• Convenience
• Where to Purchase
• Cost
• Disposal
• Alternatives

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get to it, shall we?

About the product

I ordered a set of 6 glass drinking straws from Amazon for this review.

The seller of these straws is GINOVO (more on them later).

Performance

I put these straws to the test, using them with three different drinks:

1. Water (cold)
2. Coffee (hot)
3. Smoothie (thick)

Here are the results:

Hot

Keep in mind that I am not using a boiling hot liquid here ( I do have to drink it, after all!). I am simply using hot coffee straight from the pot, with a splash of milk. Here are my results:

Pros

• straw heats up, but not enough to burn your lips
• doesn’t take long to finish a cup of coffee with the wide bore of the straw
• no aftertaste

Con

• straw is a little tall for a regular sized mug

Cold

A nice jar of cold water was my liquid of choice for this test.

Pros

• no aftertaste
• the wide bore of the glass straw enabled me to drink the water fast
• straw remained a comfortable temperature to drink from
• perfect size for large cups and mason jars

Con

• maybe a bit tall for regular sized cups

Thick

My delicious morning smoothie was the subject of this test. Just to clarify, I don’t like a runny smoothie so these glass straws were really put to the test. Here are my results:

Pros

• easy to pull
• nice, wide bore perfect for smoothie drinking
• looks cool
• no weird aftertaste

Con

• hit my teeth a few times with the glass straw- didn’t hurt, just annoying

Overall, I loved these glass straws! Especially using them to drink my morning liter of water. Sometimes it’s a chore to drink enough water all day, but the wide diameter of these glass straws made it so much easier not to mention faster.

Honestly, I usually do not drink my water with a straw, but after reviewing these straws, I am a convert! I now use a glass straw to drink my water in the morning and throughout the day.

Maintenance

The maintenance for these glass straws is very easy.

Simply rinse them out when finished with them. They come with cleaning brushes, so there really is nothing to keeping these sparkly clean.

Also, they are clear so you can easily see if you need to scrub a little bit harder to remove the smoothie gunk from the inside of the straw.

I wash these straws in the sink with all my other dishes and I have no issues of breakage.

As well, I just air-dry these reusable straws and they dry with NO water spots. I think that’s pretty awesome!

But perhaps you don’t want them clunking around in your sink.

Are glass straws dishwasher safe?

Yes, these glass straws are made from borosilicate, which is dishwasher safe.

You should still rinse them out if you drank a smoothie, as I have found that the dishwasher is not great at removing smoothie residue from dishes.

Overall, glass straws are super easy to clean and maintain.

Product Packaging

These glass straws were shipped together in a cardboard box, individually wrapped with plastic.

Admittedly, this was the first clue that I was not dealing with a truly eco-friendly manufacturer.

The cardboard box is great, it is 100% recyclable.

However, the straws being individually wrapped in plastic was pretty disappointing. This type of plastic is not recyclable in my community, so it ended up in the trash, which is what I wanted to avoid when purchasing eco-friendly straws in the first place.

Although tossing six pieces of plastic instead of continually throwing away disposable plastic straws is an improvement, it just wasn’t the ideal situation in my eyes.

Had the straws come wrapped in a something recyclable or reusable, I would have been much happier.

Ingredients Deep-dive

These reusable straws are made from borosilicate glass.

What is borosilicate glass, you ask?

Let’s find out, shall we?

Since I do not inherently have a wealth of information in my head of types of glass, I will be using the ever-trusted source Wikipedia to help me out.

Borosilicate Glass

• made with silica and boron trioxide in addition to quartz, sodium chloride, and aluminum oxide which are traditionally used in glass making
  • when heated together at high temperatures, these components form borosilicate
• economical to produce
• super durable
• heat resistant
• virtually all laboratory glassware is made from borosilicate glass

are glass straws safe?

Essentially, yes, borosilicate glass is durable and strong. Chances are it will NOT shatter when using it as its intended purpose- A STRAW!

If you’re doing something other than drinking fluids through it, I guess do it at your own risk!

Label claims

These glass straws did not come with any labelling on the package, so I took a screen shot of the product description on the Amazon website. Here’s what it says:

Let’s examine these statements one by one.

• Size: 10 inch: I measured these puppies myself and this claim is true
  • diameter measures at 7mm or 1/4″
• Healthy – Compared to the toxic BPA material found in plastic straws.
  • Borosilicate glass does not contain BPA, is not toxic, and does not cause harmful by-products when heated
  • This claim checks out
• Eco-friendly – Stop non-biodegradable plastics from entering the environment.
  • Glass straws are reusable, hence no need for disposable plastic straws any longer!
  • This claim checks out
• Easy to clean – Just rinse after use. If food gets stuck in one of them – use the included full-length brush.
  • I can attest to this claim, super easy to clean and with a cleaning brush, you can’t go wrong
  • This claim checks out
• Very Sturdy – Made from the most durable borosilicate glass available on the market.
  • Borosilicate glass is super durable and the best choice for glass straws
  • This claim checks out
• Safe for kids,Lead free glass material. 
  • While I wouldn’t let a kid run wild with a glass straw, sitting under supervision at a table, they should be fine
    • Use your own judgment here, you know your kids the best
  • Borosilicate glass is lead-free
  • These claims check out (with an asterisk)

manufacturer sustainability model

Cue Brittany Spears,

OOPs, I did it again.

A little explanation: I ordered a few sets of reusable straws from Amazon without doing my due diligence and making sure I was ordering from manufacturers who are legitimately taking steps to help the environment in their day-to-day processes.

I am sorry.

I ordered without thinking, and I have no idea who the manufacturer actually is, I just have the name of who I think is the distributor GINOVO.

GINOVO sells lots of products on Amazon, yet they do not have a website that I could find or even a facebook page.

Case and point: I have no idea what the sustainability model of the manufacturer is, heck I don’t even know WHO the manufacturer is.

I think it is safe to assume that for these GINOVO glass straws, there is no sustainability model.

Another tough lesson learned.

Please learn from my mistake and do your due diligence when buying eco-friendly products to ensure you are supporting a company that truly cares about the environment.

Convenience

Using a reusable straw at home is no biggie.

The only difference between a reusable and disposable straw is the fact that you need to rinse it out and wash them after use.

Going out is another matter.

Using reusable straws on the go is admittedly a bit of a learning curve.

First of all, you need to actually remember to take it with you. These glass straws did not come with any carrying case, so that’s a bit of an inconvenience.

Wrapping it in a bandana or dish towel works well. This does mean that it will take up more space in your bag or purse BUT you have a built-in cloth to wipe it with when you are finished using your straw.

Rinsing out the straw after use is always a good thing, but if there is not a place close by to do so, don’t worry about it too much. These straws come with a cleaning brush, so after a good soak in the dishwater at home and a scrub, they should be good to go again.

In my opinion, glass straws are a bit of an inconvenience to take out with you simply because there is no carrying case and I wouldn’t want to keep one in my bag at all times, they are glass after all.

I could see myself forgetting to put it in my bag before running out the door.

For this reason, I think stainless steel straws would be a better alternative for on the go use as they take up less space in your purse  and generally come with a carrying case so you can keep them in your bag at all times so you will be prepared when the situation arises where you need to use a straw.

where to purchase

These reusable glass straws are of course available for purchase on da da ta da… Amazon right here.

Cost

Since I could not find the exact same item to purchase at both Amazon.ca and Amazon.com, I think it is only fair that we examine individual straw prices.

For my Canadian Friends

The current price for 6 glass straws (3 bent and 3 straight) is $14.90.

Thus making the price of a single straw $2.50.

For My American friends

The current price of 6 glass straws (all bent or all straight) is $5.90.

Thus making the price of a single straw just $0.98

As a Canadian, seeing this price difference is a little irritating to say the least. We pay 2.5 times the amount of our American counterparts, but that is a rant for another day.

Getting back to the point of this cost analysis is that for Canadians, reusable glass straws are a little pricey. For Americans, they are a steal at less than a dollar a piece.

The important thing to note is that theoretically you may never have to buy straws ever again, so in the long run, they are cheaper than disposable plastic straws, even if you are Canadian!

disposal

So you have purchased glass straws but have decided to redecorate your kitchen to resemble a tiki hut, and you want bamboo everything, including straws.

How do you dispose of your glass straws?

The most environmentally friendly way to dispose of these straws is to pass them on to someone who will enjoy them.

They are not suitable for recycling in most communities.

The use of borosilicate glass is a double-edged sword. It is so durable and heat resistant (great qualities to have in a glass straw) that it makes recycling difficult (unfortunate for the environment) as it melts at a much higher temperature than regular soda-lime glass.

Since borosilicate glass is made to essentially last a lifetime, not enough of it is being recycled to make it worthwhile for recycling centres to develop a program to recycle it.

To sum up, if at all possible, pass along any unwanted glass straws to a friend, family member, acquaintance, literally anyone who will enjoy them and keep them out of the trash heap.

Alternatives

Perhaps you are interested in reusable straws but after reading this you decide that glass straws may not be for you.

No worries, there are many other types of reusable straws that may be for you.

Here are a few:

1. Stainless steel straws
2. Bamboo straws
3. Paper straws

Overall, I have come to really love these straws.

In case you have forgotten, let me just quickly recap what I loved and not-so-loved about these eco-friendly glass straws.

Performance wise, I loved using these straws for drinking smoothies and water. The wide bore is perfect for drinking thick smoothies.

The wide diameter also allowed me to drink my daily water requirement fast. This is a big plus for me because let’s face it, it’s hard enough to drink the recommended amount of water on a daily basis, so being able to drink it quickly so as to not have to lug around a bottle of water everywhere I go is a huge bonus!

Cleaning is a breeze with the cleaning brushes that are included.

Since the straws are clear, it’s easy to see if more scrubbing is necessary to get them sparkly clean. I also had no problem with them mixed in with the rest of my dishes, I did not fear they were going to break.

The convenience factor for when you are on-the-go is not great. They do not come with a carrying case, so you may be a little leary just sticking them in your purse and walking out the door.

And last, but certainly not least, glass straws are better for the environment than disposable plastic straws.

Despite borosilicate glass not being recyclable in most places, these straws are strong and durable, so they should last a long time.

If you outgrow your love of glass straws or move onto some other amazing reusable material, no problem, just pass on your previously loved straws to someone else who is sure to enjoy them.

Remember, small changes we make at home can have a HUGE effect on the environment.

Ditching those disposable plastic straws and switching to eco-friendly, reusable straws is an amazing step in the right direction.

So what are you waiting for?

Let’s save the earth together, order your reusable straws TODAY!

Please leave a comment down below with any comments or questions. Let me know what your favorite reusable straw is or suggestions of other eco-friendly products you would like me to review.