Used in many restaurants and bars as a more eco-friendly, compostable, and commercially viable alternative to plastic, paper straws are also an option for personal use in cold drinks. They come in many different colors and designs, and are perfect for any occasion! Besides being cute, paper straws are much better for the environment than plastic straws and decompose in just 30-60 days. Some paper straws also come in bendable versions. However, paper straws still require trees and theres an intensive manufacturing process to turn the wood pulp into paper.