Truly said necessity is the mother of invention. When the Tamil Nadu Government banned the use of plastic with effect from this New Year, it was truly a challenge for many. People were trying hard to find alternatives to replace the plastic used by them. 

People started using interesting alternatives like banana leaves, betelnut plates, etc for serving food as well as packaging. Though this seems to be easy but was a reason to worry for a simple man who was selling the tender coconut. 

It was discovered and was shared on social media by Thangam Pandiyan, an organic farmer and a resident of Madhurai the interesting fact of papaya stalk being used to serve the fresh coconut water. 

While talking to The News Minute, he shared “He had collected them from his own farm and these are available in plenty in papaya farms usually. This is the stalk that bears the fruit and the leaves. And farmers usually keep trimming the leaves so there’s plenty of stem available. It is interesting that he has made use of them. Also, it does not bend easily like how a plastic straw would and is easier for children to drink as well,” he observes.  

He also added that in addition to these papaya stalks there are some kinds of grass which are hollow and can be used for the purpose. 

There is also another seller in Tamil Nadu from Tirunelveli district who uses bamboo straws. J Shanmuga Nathan, a resident of a small and beautiful town Tenkasi from Tirunelveli district while talking to The News Minute says, “Just right across the other side road, he found plenty of Bamboo stems which he thought he’ll make straws out of. From one bamboo he can make about 6 to 10 such straws, bamboo added its unique flavour to the tender coconut. It was quite refreshing,” he added.

The environment can no longer be treated as somebody else's problem.... the need of the hour is to switch on to the Green alternatives for creating a sustainable environment.