Woodstock paper maker of 43 years designs eco-friendly paper straw that lasts 24 hours in beverage, decomposes in 90 days
Brandon L McBryde Spinelli’s straw lasts 24 hours in beverages and fully decomposes in 90 days.
WOODSTOCK – Guy Spinelli, age 72, opened his business Boss Straw in March 2021 out of the building he owns for his paper manufacturing company, Guy’s E Paper LLC in Woodstock, IL. His straw invention comes in four sizes and lasts 24 hours in any beverage, then decomposes in 90 days.
After working in the paper manufacturing industry since 1979, Spinelli began research for the Boss Straw in February 2019. He said he wanted to overcome three inconveniences when drinking out of a paper straw: how long the straw lasts in a beverage, eliminate the paper taste, and stop carbonation from shooting to the top of the straw.
The Boss Straw is made with open porosity, which refers to the volume of open pores that a liquid or gas penetrates. And Spinelli opted for southern fiber instead of northern fiber to produce the paper because the trees in the north freeze, and so they’re not as pliable and sturdy trees in the south, he said.
Spinelli said he also makes the paper straws using a wet strength agent in order for the paper to repel water and prevent sogginess.
“Looking at the straws that are either made domestically or overseas, these straws are made with paper not designed for paper straws. I had to design the paper for Boss Straw,” Spinelli said.
Spinelli’s process is a combination of fiber choice, porosity, steam, and pressure, he said, to create an outer layer that doesn’t stick to lips, and a sturdy center layer that ensures the person drinking only tastes their beverage, all while being earth friendly. Spinelli overall made three different grades of paper to make the straw, he said.
Each straw costs about 2-3 cents, while straws from China cost 1.5 cents, which is where most businesses purchase paper straws from, Spinelli said. While he gave a presentation to one of his customers, in an effort to persuade them to integrate Boss Straws, the cost was a concern.
“Unfortunately for the manager and fortunately for me, a waitress comes over and says [to the manager], ‘you don’t understand. You said you’re paying 1.5 cents for this straw that we’re giving out? I have to give three of them to a customer who’s here for 20 minutes. His straw is way less expensive,’” Spinelli said.
The city of Woodstock, however, doesn’t seem to be implementing a plastic straw ban anytime soon for Boss Straw to be used in local businesses, because community members are not advocating for it widely enough, Spinelli said. And with a single-use plastic bag 10 cent fee already in place, Mayor Michael Turner doesn’t want to overreach and impose a ban, Spinelli said.
Starting Jan. 1, 2019, the city of Woodstock imposed a 10 cent fee to each customer for each carryout single-use bag that a retail establishment provides, according to a City of Woodstock Ordinance.
“What should happen is the evolution of the paper straw. If you want to do good for the earth, you should use paper straws. But I would never force anyone to do that,” Spinelli said.
Prior to the implementation of a 10 cent fee, the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County began advocating against single-use plastics in 2013, said Destiny Seaton in a written statement, communication and membership specialist for the Defenders. In 2015 the Defenders began presenting on the benefits of reducing plastic bag use in Woodstock and replacing them with reusable alternatives, she said.
“Single-use plastic straws certainly have a similar negative effect on our community, and the Defenders support efforts to reduce use of all single-use plastics and will continue advocating for ordinances that help the cause,” Seaton said.
On Jan. 31 the Defenders’ Waste Reduction Action Team, in partnership with McHenry County College and funded by a grant from the Aptar Charitable Group Foundation, will hold a Sustainability Summit at McHenry County College to discuss with local leaders ways to reduce single-use plastics such as straws in the county, Seaton said.
Spinelli said he is currently searching for grants to purchase new equipment so Boss Straw can expand quickly and grow financially.
“We use, in U.S., 500 million plastic straws a day. It takes 200 years for those straws to become soil,” Spinelli said.
Although the community of Woodstock isn’t widely advocating for paper straws for there to be a ban, Spinelli said he is actively talking to major companies to purchase and make a contract with Boss Straw.
“I believe that of the 500 million straws that are used in this country daily, I believe in five years, Boss Straw will have 25% of that. In 10 years, we’ll have close to 70% of the paper straws made in the United States,” Spinelli said.
