There’s 1 Clear Reason Trump Loves Plastic Straws — And It Has Nothing To Do With Sucking

On Feb. 10, President Donald Trump issued an executive order ending the procurement and use of paper straws at federal agencies. It was a stark reversal from the Biden era, in which the former president vowed to remove plastic straws and single-use plastics from federal food service in favor of paper straws, which are thought to be better for the environment.

“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,” reads the 2025 order.

But is this actually true? Paper straws do cost more to manufacture than plastic, and sometimes they contain PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances). However, plastic straws are made with petroleum, and when the plastic breaks down into microplastics, studies show it gets into our brains.

“It’s in the name of the executive order,” said Ben Leffel, professor of public policy and sustainability expert at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “It’s ending forced use, which doesn’t exist. This is just another symbolic bone thrown to [Trump’s] supporters sticking it to the left. They’re framed as some kind of tyrannical force. And here’s our hero, President Trump, once again, putting us in a hypothetical prison of his own making. The language of his executive orders lay bare the psychology of exactly what he’s doing, and it’s manipulative straw man policymaking.”

Opponents fear that reverting back to plastic straws will open the floodgates for rolling back more environmental policies and enable people to use more single-use plastics.

“Plastic is not part of our diet for a reason,” Leffel said. “No straws [would] be a better solution, because reducing waste is what we want to do.” On average, it takes 200 years for a plastic straw to decompose.

He’s pushing a petrochemical agenda.

Fifteen years ago, Lauren Gropper co-founded the sustainability companyRepurpose to offer an alternative to plastics.

“Trump’s pushing plastic because he’s pushing the petrochemical agenda. That’s what he wants,” she said.

Politics aside, plastics aren’t good for our health or the environment. “It’s really not about paper versus plastic,” Gropper said. “It’s about moving forward with better materials. And to me, the case for compostable bioplastics made from plants, not petroleum, it’s really never been stronger because we don’t want soggy, flimsy, sustainable swaps that don’t work. We want swaps that work. We really don’t have to choose between bad and worse.”

Repurpose makes their straws from PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates), a nontoxic type of polyester. “It’s a marine degradable certified compostable straw, and it feels and looks like plastic, but it’s not,” Gropper said. “Compostable solutions, they’re not political. They’re just common sense no matter what side you’re on. No one wants more plastic in their body, their water or their food.”

CJ Biomaterials makes the resin or biomaterial used in PHA. The result is straws made from fermented sugar. PHA has a carbon footprint as much as 55% smaller than polyethylene because the process doesn’t include extracting gas or oil. A few weeks ago, CJ Biomaterials began distributing straws made with their resin to bakery chain Tous les Jours, which has 150 U.S. locations.

“If you think about your average paper hot cup, for example, those all need some sort of lining to give you that similar moisture resistance,” explained Leah Ford, the global marketing, communications and sustainability leader at CJ. “If you use paper and a bioplastic like PHA together and use the PHA for that extrusion-coated lining, you can have a really nice compostable hot cup. We’re kind of thoughtful about paper and bioplastics. Both have a role to play, whether it’s in straws or other applications.”

Beyond the executive order, consumer demand is a factor.

“The reason Starbucks and these other large brands made their initial commitments to get rid of straws was because of consumer outreach,” said Max Senechal, CJ’s chief commercial officer. “It wasn’t because there was federal legislation or regulation. The straw is a bit of a lightning rod right now for the new administration. But for us, you can turn that into a, ‘Hey, there are some technologies that have been developed over the past few years that are now available at commercial scale that can answer the call on straws.’”

Blueland specializes in dissolvable single-use tablets for sprays and hand soaps and has led the charge on sustainability.

“I’m not saying that paper straws is the answer, but it’s unfortunate the message that’s being sent out there is plastic straws are great, let’s keep the plastic straw party going,” said Sarah Paiji Yoo, co-founder and CEO of Blueland. “I think instead, the focus and the messaging should continue to be, let’s avoid single-use plastic where we can and continue to support innovation that can provide better alternatives moving forward.”

Despite the federal order, many states and cities have banned utensils automatically included in takeout orders. Smaller governments can do their part. Paiji Yoo suggests the government should step in and offer businesses incentives for eliminating plastics.

“I do think there is a role for government to make sure that the right incentives are in place so businesses are making decisions that are more optimal for the planet and for human health, because I think the costs that these businesses don’t have to bear when they decide to use a single-use plastic is who then carries the cost for recycling or landfilling, all of that cheap material, or when that material ends up in the environment and impacts human health,” she said.

Individuals can vote with their dollars and make an impact. We all have choices, and those choices matter.

“We can find alternatives that work, like Repurpose,” Gropper said. “We can actually just not use plastic straws and do without them. We can reuse as much as possible.”