President Donald Trump is bringing back plastic straws, and he hopes the sharks won’t mind. The president signed an executive order on Monday ending the procurement and “forced use” of paper straws, which have replaced environmentally damaging plastics. “We’re going back to plastic straws,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “These things don’t work. I’ve had them many times, and on occasion, they break, they explode.” The president continued to whine about how paper straws “don’t last very long,” especially when used to consume hot drinks. “It’s a ridiculous situation,” he said. “And I don’t think that plastic is going to affect a shark very much as they’re munching their way through the ocean.” Though there is limited data on the impact of plastic straws on sharks, the damage inflicted by plastic straws and other plastic waste on marine life has been well-documented. Trump’s executive order directs agencies to stop providing paper straws in their buildings and eliminate policies that disfavor plastics.
