Paper straws are “out” under the Trump administration, as he sucked the air out of the push for a more eco-friendly drink experience.
But, why does he hate them when some have been promoting them as a planet-saving alternative?
President Donald Trump, who has been pushing against the straws for years, has said that they don’t work” and signed an executive order on Monday to reverse federal purchasing policies that encourage paper straws and restrict plastic ones.
Paper straws have been a quick fix to a much larger issue, and the Biden administration’s previous steps to transition away from plastic at a federal level were a part of that. People have claimed that the biodegradable straws are better for wildlife, in addition to helping reduce plastic pollution.
Here is the truth behind the paper vs. plastic debate and why they are the center of a political storm:
What is a paper straw and why are some pushing them?
Paper straws have been presented as more angelic alternatives to those made with plastic. Plastic straws aren’t recyclable and aren’t biodegradable, like paper straws. They first gained popularity in the 2010s, after a video of a turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose gained traction.
What are they paper straws made from?
Paper straws are typically made from food-grade paper and adhesive. Nearly all glues are petroleum-based.
Some paper straws are coated with wax and colored paper straws have dyes.
Do they work as well as plastic ones?
Paper straws lose 90 percent of their compressive strength after being in contact with liquid for less than an hour. Plastic straws can take hundreds of years to decompose. Whereas a biodegradable straw lasts for just months.
Are there any health hazards with paper straws?
Paper straws also contain “forever chemicals.” Those chemicals have been linked to cancers, thyroid disease, liver damage, reduced vaccine response in children, birth defects and newborn deaths, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Carmen Messerlian, assistant professor of environmental, reproductive, perinatal, and pediatric epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Insider in 2023, referring to the impacts of the chemicals. “This is only basically what we’ve been able to study. There’s probably a lot more impact.”
Scientists have said that those chemicals, known as PFAS, have been found in other kinds of newly popular straws. Researchers from Belgium said that PFAS have been found in nearly all types of straws - except the ones made of stainless steel.
“PFAS were more frequently detected in plant-based materials, such as paper and bamboo,” they wrote in a study published in the journal Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A.
What about dangers to the environment?
Plastic straws are one of the most common plastic waste products found on coastlines.
The U.S. generates millions of tons of plastics every year. In 2020, a study in the journal Science Advances found the U.S. ranked as high as third among countries contributing to coastal plastic pollution.
Nearly 100 percent of all plastics are made from fossil fuels, and manufacturing plastics emits 184 to 213 million metric tons of greenhouse gases each year, according to the University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Center. Plastics also expel greenhouse gases when they are exposed to sunlight break down.
The plastic pollution crisis is only getting larger and trillions of pieces of plastic are believed to float around the world’s oceans, including nearly 2 trillion in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
In the ocean, pieces can also choke marine life, or make them so full that they stop eating and die.
Negative effects of microplastic pollution can even impact the ocean’s top predators, despite Trump’s recent comment that he didn’t believe “plastic is going to affect a shark much as they’re munching their way through the ocean.”
What Did Biden order with paper straws?
Last summer, the Biden administration announced an initiative to reduce single-use plastics in federal operations.
In addition to working with the private sector, other stakeholders, and state, local, Tribal and Territorial governments to reduce the impact of plastic pollution, it planned to phase out federal procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.
“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that pollution can occur at every stage of the plastic lifecycle, disproportionately impacting communities with environmental justice concerns, contributing to loss of biodiversity, and exacerbating the impacts of climate change,” it said.
Previously, the government had said it supports a goal to end plastic pollution by 2040.
Why does Trump want plastic straws back?
Well, paper straws have been a longstanding frustration for the president.
During his 2020 presidential campaign, Trump sold his own plastic straws, describing them as a replacement for “liberal paper straws.”
The campaign is believed to have made nearly $500,000 from the sale of these straws alone.
What’s the alternative?
Americans frequently using metal straws may be disappointed to learn that they are not making a dent in their carbon footprint.
The straws may be safer and last longer, but metal and glass straws are responsible for even more greenhouse gas emissions than plastic straws. The gases warm the planet’s atmosphere and contribute to climate change. However, unlike plastic straws — which may still come with adverse health impacts and aren’t recyclable — they don’t end up in our oceans.
