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Natural Awakenings Westchester / Putnam / Dutchess New York

Viva Agave: Tequila Waste Turned into Bio-Straws

Cuervo.com

Jose Cuervo, the bestselling tequila maker globally, has initiated an eco-friendly process of salvaging the leftover agave fibers from its distilling process and upcycling them into a more sustainable alternative to regular plastic straws. The biodegradable drinking straw will decompose up to 200 times faster than regular plastic. Made with an agave bio-based and U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved composite, the new straws replace about a third of the polymers used in traditional straw production, and at the end of its lifecycle a straw can be consumed by microorganisms to fully biodegrade within one to five years in landfill conditions. The company plans to distribute millions of the straws this year at bars, restaurants and Jose Cuervo events across the U.S. and Mexico.