Donald Trump has banned paper straws from US government buildings - and has claimed a shift back towards plastic won't affect sea life. The US president announced the new restriction on paper straws on Monday, saying they "don’t work" and don’t last very long. As he signed an executive order to reverse federal purchasing policies that encourage paper straws and restrict plastic ones, Trump said: "It’s a ridiculous situation. We’re going back to plastic straws.".
Joe Biden's administration had introduced a policy to phase out federal purchases of single-use plastics, including straws, from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and for all federal operations by 2035. Trump declared Biden’s policy "DEAD!" in a social media post over the weekend. Alongside single-use plastic food and beverage containers, plastic straws have been blamed by scientists for polluting oceans and destroying marine life - but Trump said that he thinks “it’s OK” to keep using them. He said at a White House announcement: “I don’t think that plastic is going to affect the shark very much as they’re eating, as they’re munching their way through the ocean.' Across the US, a number of states and cities have banned plastic straws, and some restaurants no longer automatically give them to customers.
Figures show that around the world, the equivalent of one rubbish truck of plastic enters the ocean every minute from a range of sources, including plastic bags, toothbrushes, bottles and food packaging. As those materials break down in the environment, microplastics have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds and other animals, as well as in human blood and tissue. Plastic manufacturing also releases greenhouse gases and other dangerous pollutants which contribute towards global warming. More than 90% of plastic products are derived from fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas.
Christy Leavitt, plastics campaign director for the environmental group Oceana, said Trump’s order is "more about messaging than finding solutions" and pointed out that most US voters support requiring companies to reduce single-use plastic packaging and foodware. Mr Leavitt said: "President Trump is moving in the wrong direction on single-use plastics. The world is facing a plastic pollution crisis, and we can no longer ignore one of the biggest environmental threats facing our oceans and our planet today." Others on social media joked that Trump was literally 'clutching at straws' with the new policy.
However, figures from the multi-billion plastic manufacturing industry in the US applauded his move. Matt Seaholm, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, said: "Straws are just the beginning. 'Back to Plastic’ is a movement we should all get behind.". More than 390 million straws are used every day in the United States, mostly for 30 minutes or less, according to advocacy group Straws Turtle Island Restoration Network. Straws take at least 200 years to decompose and pose a threat to turtles and other wildlife as they degrade into microplastics, the group says. "To prevent another sea turtle from becoming a victim to plastic, we must make personal lifestyle alterations to fight for these species", the group said in a statement.
