Trump Destroys Biden’s Paper Straw Plan with Shocking Executive Order.
Plastic straws are back! US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ending a US government initiative to replace plastic straws with paper alternatives.
The order, effective immediately, overturns a policy implemented by former President Joe Biden, who had described plastic pollution as a "crisis."
Just last week, Trump, who had sold branded plastic straws during his 2020 election campaign, criticized paper straws, stating that they "don't work" and "disgustingly" dissolve in the mouths of consumers.
In 2024, Biden had mandated a gradual reduction in US government purchases of plastic straws, as well as plastic cutlery and packaging.
Trump's new directive halts the purchase of paper straws by government agencies and calls for a national strategy to eliminate them. "We're going back to plastic straws," Trump declared to reporters at the White House on Monday.
"These things don't work, I've had them many times, and on occasion, they break, they explode. If something's hot, they don't last very long, like a matter of minutes, sometimes a matter of seconds. It's a ridiculous situation," Trump added.
The issue of plastic straws has become a symbolic point in broader debates about environmental policies.
Last year, as part of a wider initiative to combat plastic pollution, the Biden administration announced plans to phase out single-use plastics in food packaging, operations, and events by 2027, with all federal operations to be free of these plastics by 2035.
Trump has long criticized paper straws. During his 2020 re-election campaign, which he ultimately lost, the "Trump" branded plastic straws were sold at $15 for a pack of 10, positioned as a replacement for what he called "liberal" paper straws. The campaign reported nearly $500,000 in straw sales within the first few weeks.
Estimates suggest that Americans use 500 million disposable drinking straws per day, though this number is disputed, with some arguing the true figure may be about half of that.
Several US cities and states, including Seattle, Washington; California; Oregon; and New Jersey, have enacted policies limiting plastic straw usage or requiring businesses to provide them only upon request.
According to the UN Environment Program, 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced globally each year, contributing to ocean waste and microplastics that can harm human health.
Some research has raised concerns about the chemicals in paper straws, particularly "forever chemicals" like polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which persist in the environment for decades, contaminate water supplies, and pose potential health risks.
