plastic straws

Trump says 'we're going back to plastic straws.' Is the paper straw dead?

4:36pm February 11, 2025

President Trump has signed an executive order decrying the "irrational campaign against plastic straws" and directing federal agencies to stop buying paper straws.

A mother bison leads her calf through deep snow toward a road in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., Feb. 20, 2021.

Environment

The federal government is planning to phase out single-use plastics at national parks

4:46am June 09, 2022

by Ayana Archie

More than 300 million tons of plastic are produced in the U.S. each year, with 14 million of them ending up in the ocean, according to the Department of Interior.

Bubble tea, or boba, features large tapioca balls at the bottom meant to be sucked up through a plastic straw. Vendors say paper straws don't always work as well, and they're more expensive.

San Francisco Is Poised To Ban Plastic Straws. That's Got Bubble Tea Shops Worried

7:05pm July 30, 2018

by Michelle Wiley

Over 200 city shops sell the drink, also known as boba tea, which features large tapioca balls meant to be sucked through a straw. Boba shops say paper straws are much pricier and don't work as well.

Queue Listen Now

Marriott International became the latest company to announce it will stop using plastic straws, saying it would remove them from its more than 6,500 properties by next July.

Environment

Marriott Follows Starbucks In Dropping Plastic Straws

3:09pm July 18, 2018

by Avie Schneider

The giant hotel chain became the latest company to announce it will stop using plastic straws, saying it would remove them from its more than 6,500 properties by next July.

As cities and companies — including Starbucks — move to oust straws in a bid to reduce pollution, people with disabilities say they're losing access to a necessary, lifesaving tool.

Why People With Disabilities Want Bans On Plastic Straws To Be More Flexible

6:26pm July 11, 2018

As cities and companies — including Starbucks — move to oust straws in a bid to reduce pollution, people with disabilities say they're losing access to a necessary, lifesaving tool.

Mumbai's Juhu beach is strewn with trash at low tide during monsoon season. Floodwaters flush garbage out of the city and into the Arabian Sea. As tides ebb, beaches are blanketed in trash, much of it plastic.

An Indian State Bans Plastic Bags, Straws And More. Will It Work?

3:35pm July 09, 2018

by Lauren Frayer

In Mumbai, beaches are strewn with plastic trash, so now there's a ban on plastics — and penalties for violators. But there are some exceptions.

Queue Listen Now

People walk by a Starbucks store in Chicago on May 29. Starbucks announced that it plans to remove plastic straws from its 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020.

National

Starbucks: Goodbye, Plastic Straws

12:07pm July 09, 2018

by Jennifer Liberto

Starbucks announced on Monday that it plans to get rid of plastic straws in its 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020. Instead, the company said it plans to use recyclable plastic lids that allow sipping.

McDonald's said Friday its restaurants across the U.K. and Ireland will start swapping out plastic straws for paper ones.

Environment

McDonald's Says It's Ditching Plastic Straws In U.K. And Ireland

2:47pm June 15, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

McDonald's also says it will test alternatives to plastic straws in some restaurants in the U.S. and several other countries later this year.