What is Wheat Straw?

What is Wheat Straw?
 
Now that TMM has a cricut machine, I will be able to create vinyl designs to put on tumblers, mugs, vehicles, etc.  The machine can also cut through thin leather to make earrings, through cork to make coasters, and much more. 
 

I have been searching the internet for mugs and tumblers to offer, and stumbled upon lots of products made of wheat straw.  Wheat straw?  Yes, wheat straw, an agricultural crop.  Curious, I did a bit of research.
 
Wheat straw is the stalk left over after wheat grains have been harvested. The stalks of wheat plants do not store protein, gluten or allergens; those are stored in the grains, so wheat straw products contain neither gluten nor allergens.
 
As we all know, humans have used various grasses and reeds to make paper for thousands of years. The very word “paper” derives from “papyrus,” a reed that was used by ancient Egyptians in making paper. The ancient Chinese also developed methods for making paper from plant fibers, taking advantage of the vast quantities of straw that are generated in a rice-based agricultural economy. Only in the last century have trees been the primary source of fiber used in making paper worldwide. Even so, tree-based paper has rapidly expanded to dominate the worldwide market.

Paper production that is based on agricultural crop waste, including wheat straw, offers numerous important environmental and economic advantages over tree-based paper production. Forests are threatened and endangered around the world, so it is important to find alternative materials that do not require virgin forest resources. With wheat straw, you can still use high performing disposable “paper” products, but know that you are choosing a product that is made from rapidly renewable and reclaimed wheat straw instead of trees.

Benefits of Wheat Straw:

• Sturdy and strong
• Microwave and freezer safe
• Handle hot liquids up to 200 Fahrenheit
• Conform to US Food & Drug Administration guidelines
• Non-allergenic and gluten-free
• Renewable and sustainable
• Protects forests: While 5 tons of wood are needed to produce 1 ton of pulp for paper, only 1.5 tons of straw are needed to produce the same amount. Too much wood from virgin forests is consumed by the paper industry.
• Fewer toxic chemicals: Agricultural crops are easier to turn into pulp than wood is, and consequently, they require smaller quantities of toxic solvents to turn them into pulp for paper-making.
• Less energy: Heavy-duty industrial processes are required to turn wood into paper. A wood pulp mill costs 5 times as much as a straw pulp plant, and it uses 10 times the energy.
• New revenue for farmers: Directing agricultural waste into paper manufacturing provides an additional income stream for farmers, without impacting food production or increasing energy inputs, and without putting new land into production.

​You learn something new every day. 😊   Now that I am aware of wheat straw products, tmm will proudly be offering items such as those pictured below. 

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