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President Trump took a swipe at the inconvenience of paper straw use on Monday at the White House when he signed an executive order aimed at dismantling the nationwide “irrational campaign against plastic straws.”
The order was perhaps one of the more lighthearted documents he has signed since taking office last month, but it offers a very real pushback against environmentalists who claim that paper straws are better for the planet than plastic straws.
While this point may be debatable to some, the president’s executive order pointed out an enlightening fact: paper straws are often wrapped in plastic, too.
President Trump’s order explained the issue in detail:
“Plastic straws are often replaced by paper straws, which are nonfunctional, use chemicals that may carry risks to human health, are more expensive to produce than plastic straws, and often force users to use multiple straws. Additionally, paper straws sometimes come individually wrapped in plastic, undermining the environmental argument for their use.
It is therefore the policy of the United States to end the use of paper straws.”
The executive action orders federal agencies to terminate policies prioritizing the purchase and use of paper straws and directs the assistant to the president for domestic policy to present a “National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws” within 45 days.
President Trump humorously addressed the issue while signing the order on Monday. He told reporters, “We’re going back to plastic straws. [Paper straws] don’t work, I’ve had them many times, and on occasion, they break, they explode, if something’s hot they don’t last very long – like a matter of minutes, sometimes a matter of seconds.”
After he placed his signature on the document, he added, “I don’t think that plastic’s going to affect the sharks very much as they’re eating, as they’re munching their way through the ocean.”