Paper Straws vs Total Home Earth Essentials Compostable Paper Straws: which is safer?
Aardvark Paper Straws is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Aardvark
Paper Straws
PFAS grade
Good 70/100
Overall grade
Good 62/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
paper (uncoated or standard coating)
Confidence
72%
PossibleMold or microbial growth from moisture
PossiblePaper fragmentation ingestion
Straws PAPER
Total Home Earth Essentials Compostable Paper Straws
PFAS grade
Good 70/100
Overall grade
Good 52/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
paper (compostable)
Confidence
72%
PossibleCoating composition (synthetic wax, adhesives, or starches)
ReportedCompostability claim without certification
PossibleMicrobial growth (if stored damp or reused)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Mold or microbial growth from moisture and Paper fragmentation ingestion on the Aardvark and not on the Straws PAPER.
- We flag Coating composition (synthetic wax, adhesives, or starches), Compostability claim without certification and Microbial growth (if stored damp or reused) on the Straws PAPER and not on the Aardvark.
- The Aardvark is paper (uncoated or standard coating) where the Straws PAPER is paper (compostable), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More paper straws: see the full ranking