TOKYO -- Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings and Thai state oil group PTT have combined two types of biodegradable plastic into a new, stronger material they say will reduce a source of waste filling the world's oceans -- drinking straws.
Straws have become a symbol of the movement away from single-use plastics. Big multinational restaurant chains like Starbucks and McDonald's are phasing them out, creating a need for environmentally sound alternatives.
