Plastic straws: What to expect from Trump's newest environmentally unfriendly executive order
Washington DC - After years of raging against paper straws, President Donald Trump is looking to reverse Joe Biden's plan to phase out plastic straws in the US.
A Biden-era policy sought to reduce plastic waste by slowly phasing out all single-use plastic products and replacing them with more sustainable alternatives across the federal government by 2035.
Plastic straws and utensils have been targeted in attempts to reduce waste, with Seattle in 2018 becoming the first city to ban such items.
Trump has long opposed such bans. During his failed 2020 bid for a second term in office, he sold plastic straws on his website because "liberal paper straws don't work."
Last week, Trump went on a social media tirade against paper straws, claiming he will be signing an executive order which will end Biden's push against plastic.
"I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work," Trump said on Truth Social last week. "BACK TO PLASTIC!"
When will Trump ban plastic straws?
It is expected that Trump's promised executive order will be issued at some point this week.
What is not yet clear, however, is whether his move will target plastic straws exclusively, or the entire anti-plastic policy.
Kara Lavender Law, a professor at the Sea Education Association, told the Washington Post she believes the new Trump administration will move to reintroduce all single-use plastics.
"We know from lots of field work that a lot of lots of the plastics that escape into the environment are from single use applications," she said. "So things like foodware, drinkware, straws, coffee stirrers, lids, bottle caps, etc."
"Crooked Joe’s MANDATE, 'NO PLASTIC STRAWS, ONLY PAPER,' IS DEAD!" Trump said in another deranged social media rant on Saturday. "Enjoy your next drink without a straw that disgustingly dissolves in your mouth!"
Cover photo: Collage: AFP/Roberto Schmidt & IMAGO/Wirestock