Two university students in Mexico have nabbed first place in the University Fair of Science, Technology and Innovation in Mexico City with their innovative method of turning mango peels into biodegradable* straws.

More than a year of work was carried out at the College of Sciences and Humanities, allowing Itzel Paniagua and Alondra Montserrat Lopez to figure out a method to blend, treat and process the leaves. The end result is a thin sheet of dried pulp which can be rolled into a tube and sealed, creating the straw.

Lopez said: “It is like a normal straw only a little thicker with a color between yellow and brown. It has a mango smell but in the drink it leaves no flavor.”

Widespread innovation is underway to find ways to minimize our impact on the natural world.(SD-Agencies)