After over a year of seeing an avalanche of plastic, particularly single-use plastic, everywhere in the name of COVID, we are happy to see that one local company is forging ahead with plant-based alternatives.

BioSafe, the local company that created the black straws with a blue stripe that you might have seen in local restaurants, has made it easier now for restauranteurs to replace plastic straws with a product consumers like.

Annapolis Green brought the issue of plastic straws to your attention a couple of years ago when we realized that 500 million plastic straws are used by American EVERY DAY. By in large, they are not recycled because they are just too small to be caught by recycling processing machinery. So, they end up either in the landfill or as part of the litter that plagues our land and eventually ends up in our waterways. And remember that any type of plastic does not break down, it breaks up into microplastics that wildlife mistake for food. That’s how plastic enters our food cycle and is, already, in our bodies.

Pollux Dietz, CEO of BioSafe Solutions, LLC, was concerned about the plastic proliferation before the pandemic and is even more so now that he is a father.

“Single-use plastic is a concern not only to our oceans and wildlife but to our own health,” he said. “Let’s face it: a straw is not the problem. However, the materials and manufacturing process’ philosophy is.” He added that we need to move toward manufacturing that works with Nature and with the entire life cycle of the product.

His company’s philosophy is not so much to affect behavior change on the part of consumers but to offer an eco friendly alternative.

“BioSafe believes that it does not have to be an all-or-nothing conversation when discussing the use of a straw. That’s why we have strategically partnered with US biopolymer manufacturers to use the newest, most advanced, plant-based resins to design our BioSafe products,” Dietz added.

Before COVID hit, BioSafe had enjoyed a great start in 2019 and was already gaining some attention in our community as interest grew in replacing single-use plastics with safe, plant-based products. BioSafe is a Maryland company. Its products are made in the USA, and the company also believes in working with local groups that give back to our communities – like Annapolis Green! Dietz has also worked closely with the Kent Island Beach Cleanups.

“All of our products are made from the highest quality bio-resins. We designed our straws with the customer and the environment in mind: no soggy straw, no bad aftertaste, and best of all, no harmful microplastics,” Dietz said. Proper disposal is either in an industrial compost stream or in the landfill trash.

“With our “Go Blue” straw, you don’t have to drink out of a noodle, a soggy paper straw, or change how you enjoy a beverage by going without a straw,” he said. “So go ahead, sip away guilt-free.”

Two years ago, BioSafe’s signature black-with-a-blue-stripe straws were offered in just a few Annapolis restaurants. At about the same time Annapolis Green launched Plastic Free Annapolis, our public information campaign with the City of Annapolis. Timing couldn’t have been better! We included the easy-to-spot Go Blue straws in the compostable clamshell toolkits we distributed to restaurants as part of the Plastic Free Annapolis outreach.

We are excited to once again work with BioSafe to help Annapolis to become the first “Think Green, Go Blue” city with as many restaurants and bars as possible offering these compostable straws and leaving behind the plastic straw epidemic once and for all!

And cheers to Pussers’ Caribbean Grill for leading the way with responsible sustainability (and the Go Blue straw) right on our waterfront!

“We know we have a good product, yet, having worked in restaurants for over 20 years, we know that we have to have an easy and reliable distribution plan to successfully service our growing account list,” Dietz said. The company now offers its product to restaurants through established distribution channels with which they are familiar.

But BioSafe is not done. Look for the BioSafe products that go beyond straws in the near future. “BioSafe will continue to bring you the best environmentally friendly products to change our world for a better tomorrow,” Dietz said.

In the meantime, join Annapolis Green this Plastic Free July to remove as much plastic from your life as you can, particularly single-use plastic. The planet needs all of us to do our part. Small actions by many add up! It’s time to take BioSafe’s motto to heart: “Think Green, Go Blue.”

Here’s where BioSafe straws are offered locally:

• 1771 Grill and Taproom
• Acme Bar and Grill
• Boatyard Bar & Grill
• Galway Bay Irish Restaurant and Pub
• Harry Browne’s
• Ketch 22
• Level a small plates lounge
• Pusser’s Caribbean Grille
• Sailor Oyster BaThe Point Crab House & Grill
• Vida Taco Bar
• West End Grill