- President Donald Trump said he plans to issue an executive order pushing the government back toward plastic straws. It would reverse a Biden-era policy encouraging paper straws for environmental sustainability.
- Single-use paper straws degrade faster than plastic and don’t require as many fossil fuels to make them.
- Consumers have criticized paper straws for their limited durability and flexibility. They also may contain more “forever chemicals” than their plastic counterparts.
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While President Donald Trump has signed executive orders significantly altering government policies on issues like spending and diversity, he took time Friday, Feb. 7, to say he’ll soon be going for a smaller target: paper straws.
President Joe Biden had set a policy encouraging government agencies to minimize waste and promote recycling, which included advocating for a switch to paper straws because they degrade more quickly after use.
In a post to his social media site Truth Social, Trump said he’ll sign an executive order next week to end what he called “the ridiculous Biden push for paper straws,” before saying the straws don’t work and writing in all caps, “BACK TO PLASTIC!”
While both paper and plastic are recyclable, plastic tends to use more fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, in its production. As such, paper straws generally have a lower environmental impact.
But what’s good for the environment isn’t always a consumer favorite. Paper straws have long faced criticism for their tendency to lose shape, particularly in hot beverages.
And the extent of the paper straw’s environmental advantage over plastic is unclear.
A 2023 study found that although paper straws don’t take hundreds of years to break down like their plastic counterparts, they contain more of the so-called “forever chemicals” than plastic straws.
Meanwhile, disability advocates have criticized bans on plastic straws, pointing out that plastic straws are more flexible and don’t require as much lung capacity as other alternatives, like metal straws.
For President Trump, straws have been a political and personal issue before. The Trump 2020 campaign sold plastic straws, poking fun at proposals to ban them.
Questions around straws or soft drink-related topics are especially relevant for President Trump. A 2017 New York Times report said Trump drinks as many as 12 Diet Cokes a day.
