Donald Trump wants to bring back plastic straws, but 'people power' got us this far

Bans on single-use plastics are a rare example of people power creating change from the bottom up. We can't let Donald Trump ruin the momentum, argues Randa Lindsey Kachef

Even Trump's favourite restaurant McDonalds has binned plastic packaging and got on board with environmental campaigners, releasing the McPlant burger in 2021. 

Donald Trump recently surprised the world again by signing an action to end what he describes as the “forced use” of paper straws. Although there is some merit in the argument the White House presents that paper straws simply are not fit for purpose, what the paper straw revolution represents is the power of individual change in enacting progressive policy.

Much like recent EU legislation which required all plastic bottles to have caps attached by a tether, the removal of items that tend to be easily littered is a way to help people be more environmentally cautious without any extra effort. Unfortunately, the paper straw appears to have failed in this endeavour.

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