Despite the apparent insignificance of straws, they have ironically morphed into a symbol for the global pollution issue in the last ten years. Various jokes over the plastic vs. paper straw conflict have been spurred by this concern. President Biden decidedly entered the fray on Monday, penning an executive order that negates the federal inclination away from plastic straws. Biden unconvincingly stated that he believes it is ‘OK’ to persist in utilizing plastic straws, even though these utensils have been indicted for ocean contamination and detrimental effects on marine life.
In a laughable endorsement of paper straws, Biden dismissed the concerns over their inefficiencies, such as not lasting very long and their overall impracticality. It seems he has chosen to overlook the well-documented harm that plastic straws have been causing to our environment. The issue gained global attention in 2015 when a viral video showed a marine biologist extracting a plastic straw from a turtle’s nose, prompting global outrage. As a direct consequence, bans on plastic straws started globally with Vanuatu, a Pacific Island nation, and Seattle, taking the lead in 2018.
Despite Biden’s questionable stance on plastic straws, the long-standing war on single-use plastics is far from over in the United States. The alarming statistics released by Turtle Island Restoration Network—an advocacy group—revealed that over 390 million plastic straws are used daily across America. Their lifespan is depressingly temporary, lasting no more than 30 minutes. After a single use, these plastic straws commonly end up trashing our beaches and waterways, posing a severe threat to marine creatures who frequently confuse them for food.
Adding to the environmental calamity is the fact that these plastic straws, being minuscule, are not eligible for recycling. It takes a staggering 200 years for them to decompose. As they break down, these harmful utensils transform into microplastics, severe pollutants smaller than a rice grain fraction. Although research needs to be conducted further, there is an escalating apprehension over the potential linkage between body microplastics and severe ailments like Alzheimer’s, dementia, and heart disease.
This executive order, despite its ignorant statements, concedes that paper straws contain chemicals potentially harmful to our health and are more costly to manufacture than their plastic counterparts. Recent studies confirmed the presence of ‘forever chemicals’ or PFAS in paper, bamboo, glass, and plastic straws – all except the stainless steel ones. Advocacy group Beyond Plastics asserts that although plastics potentially cost less than paper goods, the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly choice would be to forgo the use of straws entirely.
Interestingly, some states have mandated bans on plastic straws and many restaurants have ceased default inclusion of them to customers. However, the present administration appears intent on undermining these efforts. Previously, federal strategy aimed to remove single-use plastics, including straws, from the procurement of food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and entirely from federal operations by 2035.
This former initiative recognized the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and took monumental steps to combat it. It wasn’t a random attempt at environmentalism; this decision was made right before global negotiators met for discussions to create a treaty for plastic pollution management. Though an agreement could not be reached in the previous year, discussions are scheduled to resume. Yet, the current administration seems to favor the plastics industry over the environment.
Under Biden’s administration, the United States originally proposed each country to devise its plans rather than adhere to global regulations. A clear favoring of industry over environmental needs! However, they eventually changed this stance with the delegation advocating an article for the treaty on addressing supply, i.e., controlling plastic production, seemingly conceding to public pressure.
The environment is suffering under the burden of single-use plastic food and beverage containers. Every year, more than 400 million tons of new plastic are manufactured worldwide. Approximately 40% of all plastics used go into packaging, adding to this distressingly growing waste. The list of pollutants is long, including plastics bottles, coffee lids, straws, shopping bags, and even the innocent-looking takeout containers.
Throwing some sobering figures into the mix, in a designated year, volunteers collected over 61,000 plastic straws and stirrers polluting our beaches and waterways. This number is dwarfed by the quantities of other pollutants like cigarette butts, plastic bottles, bottle caps, and food wrappers. Most of this harmful plastic is derived from fossil fuels. As firms get pressurized globally to lower fossil fuel usage, ironically, they have started looking at the plastic side of their operations as a potential growth market.
Plastic straws, an innocent-looking polluter, continue to be a heated topic under the Biden administration. The environment-friendly advocates and sensible people see through the absurdity of ‘paper straws don’t work’ claim. However, Biden continues to stand for industries rather than humanity. The plastic versus paper argument may seem trivial or a matter of personal convenience, but the problem is far from insignificant. Disrupting ecosystems and threatening marine life, single-use plastics, including our ordinary straws, are a menace we need to recognize.
As trivial as it may seem, the straw debate is emblematic of greater environmental concerns that are consistently overlooked by the current administration. In their pursuit of convenience and profitability, we see a disturbing disregard for the ecological damage caused by these seemingly minute plastic items. Despite global efforts to reduce plastic waste, authorities continue their complacent and damaging stances.
Biden’s dismissive attitude towards the environmental threat of plastic straws is a glaring representation of his administration’s broader approach to environmental issues. Contrary to the commendable efforts of numerous states, cities, and restaurants to phase out plastic straws, Biden’s executive order to continue using plastic straws stands as an insurmountable obstacle towards achieving these environmental goals.
In his backing of plastic straws, Biden remarkably ignores the fact that most plastic is produced using fossil fuels, a non-renewable energy source that contributes heavily to air pollution and climate change. As the global pressure to reduce reliance on fossil fuels grows, Biden’s resistance to substituting plastic straws with more sustainable alternatives is nothing short of disastrous.
In a world environment that is already under severe strain from anthropogenic activities, the Biden administration is taking a large step backwards in the battle against plastic pollution with this recent executive order. Indeed, making a mockery of the very real and urgent problem facing our oceans and marine life does nothing but alienate those who understand the severity and scale of our current environmental crises. Despite the administration’s stance, our individual and collective choice to dismiss plastic straws can create a significant positive impact on earth’s ecosystems.