第3010期:Eco-friendly straws

This may look like an ordinary plastic straw and it may even be like one too, but it is not made of plastic.

这看起来可能像一根普通的塑料吸管，但它并非由塑料制成。

Cameron Ross started the Celise BioProducts company to produce single-use plastic alternatives from plant materials like these.

卡梅隆·罗斯创立了Celise BioProducts公司，利用这些植物材料生产一次性塑料替代品。

They are made of polylactic acid known as PLA from corn starches.

它们是由玉米淀粉中提取出的聚乳酸(PLA)制成的。

We work with food service providers, predominantly larger brands, to help them get quality sustainable and cost-effective solutions, made from plants to start getting rid of single-use plastics.

我们与食品服务供应商（主要是大型品牌）合作，帮助他们获得优质、可持续且具有成本效益的解决方案，这些成品由植物制成，以开始淘汰一次性塑料。

Single-use plastics such as bottles or straws are major cause of pollution.

瓶子或吸管等一次性塑料是造成污染的主要原因。

When we throw these away, they end up in a landfill or in the water like rivers.

当我们扔掉这些东西时，它们最终会进入垃圾填埋场或像河流这样的水域。

According to researchers, it could take up to more than 500 years for them to properly decompose.

据研究人员称，它们可能需要超过500年才能完全分解。

Ross says he wasn't always so environmentally conscious himself.

罗斯说，他以前并没有很强的环保意识。

But ever since the hiking trip in West Virginia, when he spent more time picking up trash than enjoying nature, his priorities changed.

但自从在西弗吉尼亚州的那次徒步旅行后，他就改变了想法，当时他花在捡垃圾上的时间比享受大自然还多。

That meant making biodegradable products that can break down in only a few years.

这意味着要制造可在短短几年内降解的生物可降解产品。

While many cafes and restaurants are choosing paper products to be more eco-conscious, it isn't cheap.

虽然许多咖啡馆和餐馆选择纸质产品是为了更加环保，但其成本并不便宜。

Paper straws can cost about eight times more than plastic straws.

纸质吸管的价格大约是塑料吸管的八倍。

But bioplastic straws cost less than a penny a straw, not even double the price of plastic ones.

但生物塑料吸管每根的成本不到一美分，甚至还不到塑料吸管价格的两倍。

Another problem with paper straws is that they get soggy.

纸质吸管的另一个问题是它们会变软。

You don't want to be sipping something that alters your drink or starts to melt while you're drinking.

你不会想在喝东西的时候，喝到那种会改变饮品味道或者开始融化的东西。

And then you have to get another paper straw, which creates more wastes than needed.

然后你必须再拿一根纸吸管，这样产生的废品反而更多。

Ross hopes his Washington DC-based company will provide an eco-friendly solution for food service providers.

罗斯希望他这家总部位于华盛顿特区的公司能为食品服务供应商提供一个环保解决方案。