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!

Also some people can't drink with lips pursed with a cup or glass edge between them. Strokes (both the ability to swallow and hold drinking vessel), certain surgeries (not after tooth extraction as causes dry socket).

My late DGF's final two years with us, he had a stroke which made him unable to drink a cup/glass in the normal way.

Lots of people believe that paper straws are inherently shit. That's not actually true. My youngest habitually drinks through a paper straw and it's perfectly possible to buy well made ones that can be used for over an hour without going soggy. The fact that MacDonalds buy shit, cheap paper straws is a purchasing decision aimed at boosting their profits.

Do paper straws really make that much difference environmentally?

Almost acts more like virtue signalling.

Take a step back, walk into the coffee shops, fast food joints, pubs, bars etc using them. Are there seperate bins? Not in most of them. Even if there are seperate bins, itll be golddust to find one that hasnt got mixed rubbish in because joe public arent paying attention when clearing the tables. In most, all the rubbish goes into the same bin in the place.
Do you really think the poor sods working there are going through the bin separating it all out at the end of the day? No, the plastic bin bags it all goes in to gets tied off and it all gets placed in the big biffa bins out back that go straight to the landfill site.

Same with the main bins in town centres. I've seen some places where there are split sections, but a lot of town centres still have your standard one section bin... again any paper cups, straws etc all placed in there go... you guessed it... to the landfill site.

So without prioritising recycling infrastructure for town centres and businesses and increased education for the masses, all the extra trees that are chopped down to handle the increase in demand in paper eating/drinking utensils isn't having the positive impact we want as for the most part, it all will still end up at the landfill site and not a recycling centre.

People are missing the point. Banning plastic straws was a first step to reducing plastic usage. Same with bags for life or charging for bags at the supermarket. It’s about changing mentalities towards reusable/less plastic. But people are so short sighted and only think about their convenience. Yes paper straws are $h*t but people see the small inconvenience over the bigger picture.
I was in the states recently and I was shocked at the amount of plastic and one use products they are still using. I live in the UK and I don’t claim to be very much on top of a sustainable life, but I do like to use my reusable cup for my starbucks and I like that in general as a country we are using less plastic. In the states this wasn’t the case so I am not surprised that people are happy about the return of the plastic straws. The whole sustainable mentality just isn’t there for them

Metal straws fit in handbags ffs. And yes two of my kids are autistic.

Given the paucity of proper recycling and our inherent urge to burn, bury or export our waste the more things we make of paper/card/cellulose rather than plastic the better. They're finding microplastics in our bodies now ffs!

Reusable metal straws, just one of many things I took out with me with my SEN child to avoid the meltdowns. If you use one, take it indoors when you get home and pop it in the dishwasher.

I had a bag of useful things in the car, including metal straws, his own cutlery as he wouldn't use restaurant cutlery (had no issues with the plates though), sachets of tomato sauce and a roll of loo paper. You do what you have to.

I am goingvto have to re-watch that episode! It is too vague in my memory!
The world is crazy!

You know you can take the lid off

You wash them in between uses…

I think they're gross! Don't want to be offensive to anyone but I'm sorry, that's what plastic was for, far more hygienic

It’s really easy if it’s written into law. In Wales all workplaces, charities, and public bodies must seperate recycling by law.

It’s not hard to put into law all public bins must have recycling- many in Wales do though obviously not all.

Every little step in the right direction helps.

Paper straws biodegrade within weeks. Plastic straws take thousands of years. It’s not hard to see why one is better than the other.

Yes - I was after a source.

Omg yesterday I unpacked Tomatoe out of plastic, lettuce and cucumber in bloody plastic nearly the whole shop wrapped in plastic but it's a straw getting everyone ire up.

Plastic is dangerous micro plastics are in our brains they come from everywhere, synthetic blankets, rugs clothes everywhere.

But straws are not the main issue here.

@mumofoneAlonebutokay agree.

Disgusting.
There must be a better solution.

Yeah, plus if you're using a plastic straw, it's often because of an unplanned drink!

The thought of a metal one rattling around the car, waiting to be used, collecting dust and rust, puts me off

hate to agree with the orange one but paper straws are shit

Of all the things that should be made out of paper, straws aren't one of them. They were an easy target, along with baby wipes, because they are mostly used by women and children. We can swap them for paper golf balls and biodegradable condoms...

This could be an actual quote from him at this stage, I can't tell any more

But the plastic ones are made of plastic so how are they not a problem in the scheme of things?

and what is the point when they are in huge plastic cups with extra plastic to make a ruddy dome?
I'm all for reducing plastic consumption, but then use paper cups.
And don't get me started on wooden cutlery.

We spent a couple of weeks in a Mediterranean country last summer and many restaurants we ate at didn't provide large bottles of water. Because it was hot and we were thirsty, we went through four mini bottles each. That's 16 bottles for a family of four.
They might not have a Trump, but in their quiet way, many other countries couldn't care less about the environment either.

Yes why wouldn't you? My sen kid carts half a shop in my bag a small straw makes zero difference

At least he does know what a woman is, though. That's some kind of progress.

That is so true!

They're for grabbing by the pussy, and also for inserting your stubby orange fingers into their vagina without consent. They're for bursting into their dressing rooms when they're teens. They're for purging all mentions of them in leadership positions in NASA. They're for appointing Supreme Court justices who will take away their right to bodily autonomy.

Amazing progress.

Sounds ridiculous to me. I’m an American in my late thirties and I’ve never met a single person who does this.