President Donald Trump, who seems to enjoy seeing his name on official documents so much that he'll sign just about any Executive Order, has announced the reversal of a ban on plastic straws originally put in place by former President Joe Biden.
While this might seem like a trivial issue at first glance, most Americans can probably agree on one thing, paper straws are awful. Flimsy, prone to disintegrating mid-sip, and often leaving behind a strange aftertaste, they have long been a source of frustration for consumers. Yet, they represent only a small part of the much larger global plastic crisis. For years, critics have pointed out that the plastic lids accompanying most beverages contain far more plastic by volume than the straws themselves, yet little attention has been given to banning those.
So, when can we expect to see plastic straws making a triumphant return to our favorite artery-clogging fast-food chains? Well, there's both good news and bad news. The bad news is that Trump's executive order doesn't immediately reinstate plastic straws everywhere, it simply reverses Biden's plan to phase them out entirely by 2027. This means that businesses won't be forced to bring them back overnight. The good news, however, is that many nationwide restaurant chains had already made the switch to paper straws. Now, with the federal restriction lifted, it's likely that many establishments will switch back to the plastic straw, giving plastic straw enthusiasts reason to celebrate.
