President Donald Trump announced that he will sign an executive order next week to end the government’s push for paper straws.
“I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!” he wrote on Truth Social.
The forthcoming executive order stands in contrast to the former Biden administration’s 2021 order supporting “recycled products.”
In 2022, the former Secretary of the Interior issued an order to reduce the “sale and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging with a goal of phasing out single-use plastic products on Department-managed lands by 2032.”
“The Order also directs the Department to identify nonhazardous, environmentally preferable alternatives to single-use plastic products, such as compostable or biodegradable materials, or 100 percent recycled materials,” the order said. “Single-use plastic products include plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery and disposable plastic bags that are designed for or intended to be used once and discarded.”
A 2023 study found toxic chemicals in paper straws may pose risks to human health.
Dr. Thimo Groffen from the University of Antwerp commented, “Straws made from plant-based materials, such as paper and bamboo, are often advertised as being more sustainable and eco-friendly than those made from plastic.”
He further noted that the “presence of PFAS in these straws means that’s not necessarily true.”
These potentially hazardous chemicals, PFAS, are commonly utilized in the production of water-resistant items, ranging from food packaging to water-resistant fabrics. Straws crafted from plant-based materials “are not necessarily a more sustainable alternative to plastic straws, because they can be considered as an additional source of PFAS exposure in humans and the environment,” the study concluded.
