US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will end the effort of the US government to replace plastic straws and other objects with materials like paper.
The command, which enters into force, undo -nesting the measure signed by former President Joe Biden, who called plastic pollution a “crisis.”
Last week, Trump – who sold plastic straws marked during his 2020 election campaign – said that paper straws “didn’t work” and “disgust” dissolve in the consumer’s mouth.
In 2024, Biden ordered the gradual completion of the American government shopping of plastic straws, as well as plastic cutlery and packaging.
“Let’s get back to plastic straws,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
“These things do not work, I have had many times, and occasionally break, explode. If something is hot, they don’t last a very long time, like a few minutes, sometimes a matter of a second. It’s a funny situation,” Trump said.
As part of the wider effort to target plastic contamination, Biden’s administration has announced last year that it will gradually abolish plastic for disposable use from food packaging, operations and events by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.
Trump was a longtime critic of paper straws.
During his campaign for the re -elected President 2020, which he eventually lost, “Trump” was branded plastic straws sold – $ 15 each for a package of 10 – as a replacement for what he called “liberal” paper straws.
In total, the campaign is reportedly almost $ 500,000 only from straw sales in the first few weeks.
Some statistics Set the number of used straws used for one -time use In the US with 500 million a year – although this figure is hot in dispute and the real total number could be approximately half.
Numerous US cities and states – including Seattle, Washington; California; Oregon; And New Jersey – have adopted rules that limit the use of plastic straws or require companies to provide them only after customers have asked them.
The UN environmental statistics show that 460 million metric tons of plastic is produced each year, which contributes to waste in the ocean and microplastics, which can affect human health.
Some studies have shown that paper straws contain significant quantities of “forever chemicals” such as polyFluoro -alkaline substances or PFA.
PFA can stay in the environment for decades, contaminate water supplies and cause various health problems.
