Drinking Straw History

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The standard drinking straw was designed for the single purpose of transferring a beverage from a cup to your mouth without making a mess. This design and its purpose was maintained for a long time, however in today’s society the drinking straw is intended to meet other purposes. The human needs, wants and expectations of the modern drinking straw have dramatically changed since its basic purpose when it was invented in 1888 by Marvin C. Stone. For the most part the straw is a luxury and is not necessary to consume any beverage. Consumers desire straws with their drinks because of the benefits they possesses. Straws are expected to be a more sanitary and easier way to drink. For example when eating out at a restaurant, costumers would much …show more content…
The straw provides a simple solution to the otherwise unpleasant interaction you would have with the ice while trying to drink with your mouth to the cup. The straw would allow you to drink the cooled liquid below without interacting with the ice on top. Drinking straws as a result are primarily found at restaurants, fast food joints and any other location that serves beverages. Today this has become the standard and is expected that anyone who purchases a meal, for example, at a fast food joint would be greeted with the straw beside or in the drink.
The manufacturing process of drinking straws requires several steps. The natural resources used in the making of plastic such as crude oil and natural gas, are extracted from the ground and then distilled in an oil refinery. After the essential hydrocarbon molecules such as ethylene and propylene have been extracted, they are then processed by either polymerization or polycondensation. During both process, monomers are mixed together to form polymers, which result in resins. The most common resin used in manufacturing drinking straws is polypropylene. The polypropylene is mixed with other additives such as plasticizers, colorants, antioxidants, ultraviolet stabilizers and inert fillers in