Yesterday, Trump brings back plastic straws - "I'm sure the sharks munching their way through the ocean will just munch them."

[100A]

'Bring back the plastic straws' was another declaration he signed yesterday with a flourish of his Sharpie pen, flanked by the usual obsequious officials and a bigly map of the Gulf of Mexico America (which is is now 'fact' according to his spokeswoman).

You see, the sharks are just there, happily munching along in the ocean, so they'll just bite through the plastic straws because they have very sharp teeth, after all.

People are getting so used to the freak show, this kind of thing doesn't even raise an eyebrow anymore. AIBU to wonder how America is going to ever regain any credibility? We have 4 more years of this!

did you actually lol twice as you typed that?

A ban on single use plastic products would be a great start.

I’d gladly up my other recycling and environmental efforts to bring back plastic straws.

I thought they were mostly banned except for food hygiene prep

I have to admit I've seen this on rate my plate I didn't know it was common place though.

Plastic straws really aren't essential. Life is possible without plastic straws, the posters who are trying to argue about how difficult life is without plastic straws need to get a grip!

Trump says his paper straws actually explode. That's silly !
But wait ....can it be that Mossad have decided he has outlived his usefulness? Watch this space ....

It’s a completely different mindset in the USA.
We stayed on Upper West side last year and you had to pay to put recyclable products (tins plastics et cetera) in their street side recycling bin near the hotel.
I’ve also listened to many Gretchen Reuben podcasts advocating clearing out your clutter and removing from your house all kinds of unwanted items. Nowhere does she suggest where they are supposed to go.
Over here in Blighty, it feels hugely problematic as to what to do with your non-landfill items if your local recycling centre doesn’t take them.

Nahh too much hassle innit?

I have never heard of paying to put things in recycling, I left NYC a few years ago but we had recycling pick up just like regular garbage and we also had food waste pick up. My kids’ school had multiple types of recycling. Same where I live now. Between this and the claims that people all use paper plates at home I am wondering if I live in some alternate universe version of the U.S. where recycling etc is the same as the UK!

I've lived in the US my entire life and I don't know anyone who uses paper plates when having guests over - unless it is a picnic/BBQ outside and there are not enough regular plates to go around. Obviously, there could be many folks I don't know who use paper plates on a regular basis, but no one whose homes I have visited do that. I know absolutely no one who uses disposable gloves in the kitchen. Employees at fast food restaurants do use them when assembling sandwiches for customers, but regular people at home do not use disposable gloves - they wash their hands before and after preparing food. I also don't know of any states that do not offer some sort of recycling. Some states or cities are, in fact, absolutely rabid about it and will fine a homeowner for not using the appropriate trash/recycling/composting bin. I know a lot of you simply hate Americans, but these overarching statements of "all the people" are really not productive.

Plastic straws.. you could eradicate every single one and it'd make not a hill of piss difference to a damn thing.

That's like having a go at Maureen for driving her diesel Smart car whilst ignoring China who burns a million tons of yellow pages and hour... Oh wait, that's what people do already.. silly me..

Make sure you turn you telly off at the wall, that little red light is killing pandas.

Yes this!

About a week ago before this trump revelation. My partner surprised me with a takeout Starbucks. They had added a completely unnecessary piece of plastic as a stopper.

I did verbally swear out loud FFS! We can’t have plastic straws yet we have to have this now! Ridiculous.

Paper straws are nasty. And metal or other permanent reusable straws are dangerous! One poor woman died from being impaled through the eye into the brain in 2019.

I'm not sure if there are official stats, but anecdotally, while living for a few years in the US, most families I visited for meals regularly used single-use plastics at home (plates, cups) and at the pools/beach/park picnics along with single-use plastics water bottles. We found the use of single-use plastics staggering.

You can always carry a reusable straw in your bag. No meltdown and a cleaner planet. Not that hard.

And if you dont want to do that that’s fine, but you need to own that you’re part of the problem.

I have a set of reusable straws, variable sizes - 3-mm to thick 8mm ones for thick milkshakes. Come in a little bag that just sets at the bottom of my handbag. Ie, a straw from every occasion.

I cannot bear paper/card straws either. Yes, I am ND. Just the thought of putting one in my mouth as I type is making my skin crawl and the hair on the back of my neck stand up. 🤯

Not sure where this was but I can assure you it really isn’t the norm in most places, the plastic water bottles are still popular with older people but young people are certainly not using them, they are all carrying around giant Stanley/hydroflask/yeti cups. It looks like everyone is heading into the desert for a month heading in to my office with all the drink containers everyone (including me) is carting back and forth

I do enjoy this debate
paper straws are shit they don’t last long

meanwhile plastic straws literally last forever.

Buy the reusable metal ones, they come with a brush to clean them. They are the best. Problem sorted!
Also, what do we need straws for?
Only people with issues swallowing should use them. Let the rest of us drink from the glass!
In this term, Trump seems like an elephant in a china shop. Will anything survive?

I feel that way with metal straws!

Honestly I just wouldn't feel comfortable using a reusable straw outside of the house. A water bottle is okay but straws are so fiddly and small, I hate it

I don't know @MushMonster . Might be like that Monorail episode of the Simpsons. What sort of a world are we leaving to Keith Richards?

When I was in the US a few months ago, the hotel breakfasts that were included had more disposable plastic than you can shake a stick at. I was unimpressed but not surprised.

Lord knows why Trump wants to reintroduce plastic straws though.

I don't feel that I am, you know

I grew up poor - never could afford loads of meat, especially not beef, no leather/fur clothes, shopped at charity shops before it became middle class

Used a trolley before it became the norm as we couldn't afford a taxi home with the food shop

Now I'm told I can't even have a straw. I'm never gonna own a diesel land rover, don't take loads of flights now, have a tiny car - but the rich can do what they like

I'm for this little bit of rebellion (especially as i think a straw sat in my bag isn't for me) - all for a ban on private jets though 🥰

I agree, metal straws should be banned along with all other dangerous pointed objects, like metal knives, forks, spoons, pens, skewers of any kind, chopsticks, etc. etc. It's amazing the number of potentially lethal objects I have in my kitchen alone!

Paper/plastic straws are the least of their worries