US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that completed the US government’s efforts to replace plastic straws on paper.
The order, which comes into force immediately, abolishes the measure signed by former President Joe Biden, who called plastic pollution a “crisis”.
Last week, Trump – selling branded plastic straws during his election campaign in 2020 – said paper straw “does not work” and “disgusting” dissolves in the lips of consumers.
In 2024, Biden ordered the gradual end of the state purchase of plastic straws, as well as plastic cutlery and packaging.
Trump’s directive orders the state authorities to stop the purchase of paper straws and requires a strategy to eliminate them across the country.
“We are returning to plastic straws,” Trump told the White House on Monday.
“These things do not work, I have them many times, and on occasion they break, they explode. If something is hot, they will last for a few minutes, sometimes in a few seconds. This is a ridiculous situation,” Trump said.
As part of the broader orientation efforts on plastic pollution, the Biden administration announced last year that by 2027 it gradually stopped plastic with food, operation and events, as well as from all federal operations by 2035.
Trump was a long -standing critic of paper straws.
During his campaign re -elected the President in 2020, which he eventually lost, “Trump”, branded plastic straws, were sold – $ 15 for a pack of 10 – as a replacement for what he called “liberal” paper straw.
In total, the company reportedly reported almost $ 500,000 in the first few weeks.
Some statistics Put the amount used by drinking straws In the US, 500 million a day – although this figure is hotly disputed, and the real total amount can be about half.
A number of US and state cities – including Seattle, Washington; California; Oregon; And New Jersey – adopted rules that limit the use of plastic straws or require that businesses provide them only after their customers are asked.
The UN Statistics on the Environmental Issues shows that 460 million metric tons are produced each year, which promotes waste in the ocean and microplasty that can affect human health.
Some studies have shown that paper straws, however, contain a significant amount of “permanently chemicals” such as polyphloral substances or PFAS.
PFAS can remain in the environment for decades, polluting water supplies and cause different health problems.
