The environmental impact of plastic waste has long been a point of contention in the United States, particularly regarding single-use plastics like straws, which are not recyclable, end up in landfills and incinerators, litter streets, parks, and roadsides, clog gutters, and enter rivers, lakes, streams, and the ocean. They pollute the environment and may persist for more than 200 years.
According to the Trash Free Seas Alliance, which is part of the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, the average American uses 1.6 straws daily. In the United States alone, that’s enough to circle the equator two and a half times.
A viral video made nearly ten years ago by a research team from Texas A&M University showed a sea turtle with a plastic straw in its nose. The video created a wave of activism directed toward reducing plastic pollution, and municipalities across the country have since implemented local bans on plastic straws, citing the harm they cause to marine life and ecosystems. In 2019, New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal introduced legislation to restrict the use of plastic straws. The bill, which was part of a broader push to reduce plastic waste in the city, targeted the use of plastic straws in food establishments. On November 1, 2021, New York City mandated that food service establishments be required to provide plastic straws only upon request, and they were encouraged to offer paper or other alternative straws instead.
Espinal’s initiative followed in the footsteps of other cities across the United States. including San Francisco and Seattle, received widespread support from environmental groups and the general public, who saw the move as a necessary step toward reducing the city’s environmental footprint.
The plastic straw ban, part of a broader trend in New York City, which has been at the forefront of sustainability efforts in the United States, aligns with the city’s broader goals to reduce waste, limit single-use plastics, and encourage the use of more sustainable alternatives.
It is worth noting that the impact of plastic goes beyond the environment. A recent study published in Nature Medicine found that nanoplastics and microplastics are entering the human brain in greater amounts than previously thought. The study reported that samples of human brains from cadavers contained an entire spoon’s worth of nanoplastics.
Despite these documented environmental and human health impacts, however, on Monday, February 10, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that immediately ended the United States government’s efforts to replace plastic straws with paper alternatives, raising questions about how federal actions impact local laws.
The order overturned a policy introduced by former President Joe Biden, who had described plastic pollution as a “crisis.” On July 19, 2024, Biden ordered the federal government to gradually phase out the purchase of all single-use plastics.
Trump, who sold branded plastic straws during his 2020 campaign, criticized paper straws last week, saying they “don’t work” and “disgustingly” dissolve when used. Trump’s executive order effectively reverses that mandate, instructing federal agencies to halt the purchase of paper straws and ensuring that they are not provided in government buildings. Additionally, it mandates the creation of a “National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws” within 45 days.
Trump’s position on paper straws and plastic waste highlights a divide between federal and local policy goals. While the federal government under Trump seeks to reduce environmental regulations in favor of personal and economic freedom, local governments such as New York City are still able to move forward with their own environmental agendas, recognizing the urgent need to address plastic waste.
The federal opposition to paper straws and the broader deregulatory approach under Trump does not invalidate or override local laws like New York City’s plastic straw ban. Municipalities, including New York City, have the legal authority to pass their own regulations to address community needs and environmental goals.
Therefore, despite Trump’s Executive Order, plastic straw bans and restrictions will remain in effect at state and local levels across the United States. More than seven states, including New York, California, and New Jersey, have laws requiring that restaurants and bars provide plastic straws only upon customer request. Many cities and counties also have similar restrictions, with some, such as Washington, D.C., banning the distribution of plastic straws altogether, even if a customer asks for one.
