It was the final straw; the one that broke the camel's back, so to speak.

Staring at all the plastic straws stuffed in a drawer at home, Cafe Home co-owner Nicole Pybus decided "enough was enough".

Plastic straws have since been scrapped at the busy Blenheim cafe she owns with husband Geoff.

The pair have switched to metal and paper straws instead.

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All takeaway drinks come with paper straws and special metal ones are the flavour of the day in store.

"My drawer at home was packed with straws that I had kept to reuse but then my daughter would chew on one and I'd have to throw it out.

"It started me thinking about the cafe. I was quite embarrassed really; we've had the cafe for 10 years and have always used plastic straws.

"I felt awful about it," she says.

The metal straws come in gold, silver, copper and black colours.

Pybus says she chose larger, straight-style straws to ensure they could be cleaned effectively. 

Each is between 8mm and 10mm in diameter and can easily accommodate the tiny brushes bought especially to clean them before they are sterilised.

The pair had considered buying straws made from pasta but quickly realised they would not be a hit with gluten-intolerant customers.

Since making the change last week, Pybus says customers have been overwhelmingly supportive.

"Cost-wise I had to make sure about the longevity and that they would last with repeated sterilising. The cost hasn't been passed on to the customers. Our prices remain the same.

"I think other cafes and businesses will follow suit within the year or at least start asking people if they even want a straw.

"I'm really into recycling and always have been. My mum's a big greenie and I grew up doing the whole reuse, recycle thing.

"There's no other choice now, it had to happen," she says.

Waste minimisation experts 3R Group chief executive Adele Rose says the recent focus on single-use plastic items, like straws and bags, is quickly becoming something businesses can't ignore.

"There is a definite feeling among consumers that there needs to be a change when it comes to the way we use plastic. Straws are essentially unnecessary and, like other single-use plastic items, have potentially very long-reaching environmental impacts," she says.