Belgrade company countering use of plastic – Producing paper straws

The European Commission has recently announced a ban on the use of disposable plastic products. Numerous companies have reacted, announcing that they will replace plastic straws with paper ones, or with straws made of recyclable materials.

Dragan Filipovic from Belgrade has decided to become a pioneer in the production of paper straws in Serbia. His family startup Fill stated producing biodegradable paper straws and selling them in Serbia, Austria and Slovenia in early May.

– Through research, I found out about a company from China, whose machines produce paper straws, cups and bags – Filipovic says.

The biodegradable straws produced by the company are made of special types of paper, where flour and sugar are used as adhesives, with the product then being covered in colorful paper. They come in various colors and sizes.

Filipovic says that certain hospitality businesses in Serbia have recognized the importance of turning to environmentally sustainable products and are interested in his products and that the same goes for several distributors.

– As a company, we will initiate education about this topic, as many people in Serbia are not aware how much plastic affects the nature, and consequently, each of us. To be more precise, we only use a straw for a couple of minutes and then it takes up to three centuries to decompose – Dragan Filipovic emphasizes.