KUALA LUMPUR – She has tried using different alternatives to plastic straws in the past but previous attempts did not go well with their customers

A cafe in Siargao Island in the Philippines has gone viral for using “lukay” straws to reduce plastic waste. Lukay is the local term for palm leaves or coconut fronds.

Sarah Tiu, 37, manager of Cafe Editha, located in Dapa, Surigao del Norte said that she was inspired when she went on a holiday with her family to Corregidor Island and saw the locals there using lukay to make straws.

“We bought fresh buko (coconut) and they just cut lukay, then made it into straws. So we asked them to teach us (because) we were very impressed with the idea.” She told the Inquirer.net in an interview.

According to Tiu, she has tried using different alternatives to plastic straws in the past but previous attempts to use stainless straws and paper straws did not go well as their customers “didn’t like using it.”

Tiu introduced lukay straws in the cafe last week and it has been received positively not only by her cafe’s patrons but by netizens as well.

Cafe Editha’s Facebook post has already been shared more than 25,000 times

Tiu told BuzzFeed News that it only takes less than two minutes to make a single palm leaf straw, she and her staff make the straws every morning before the cafe opens.