Trump wants plastic straws back, but this town is about to ban them (and more)
The ordinance is taking effect at a time when President Donald Trump has said he wants plastic straws to make a comeback.
YORK, ME ‒ A local ban on plastic straws, stir sticks, and utensils will take effect May 18, even as an executive order signed earlier this year by President Donald Trump takes aim at paper straws.
In May 2024, voters in York passed the ban after York High School Eco Club members worked with town officials and others to craft language and parameters for the proposed ordinance.
Meanwhile, Trump in February issued an executive order requiring federal agencies and departments to stop buying paper straws and ensure they weren't offered in their buildings.
"I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!" Trump said ahead of signing the order.
Trump told the head of his Domestic Policy Council to create a "national strategy to end the use of paper straws." (Some cities and states have banned plastic straws over concerns that they could too easily enter the oceans and harm sea life.)
In York, the prohibition on plastic straws will pertain to local stores, restaurants, coffee and tea shops, cafeterias, caterers, food delivery services, and town-sponsored events. Health care facilities will be exempt from the ordinance.
The town code officer will enforce the ordinance, issuing fines of $100 for first violations, $200 for second ones, and $500 for third ones.
Businesses and students weigh in on plastic ban
In the discussion leading up to the vote in May 2024, some spoke in favor of the ban, while others expressed concerns.
Some business owners, for example, said they were supportive of the ordinance – in fact, one of them, Caitlynn Ramsey of the Sun and Surf Restaurant, even worked with the high school students to craft the approved ordinance.
On the other hand, Patti Krukoff-Bernier, who runs Nick’s Beachside Grille and Molly O’s at Short Sands Beach, said last May that a quick search of inventory for sale online showed alternatives to plastic forks could run as high as 25 cents an item. Plasticware costs pennies in comparison, she said.
“It’s going to be altogether more expensive, and the alternative is going to cost the consumer,” Krukoff-Bernier said.
Eric and Meredith Lemont, who own Village Scoop Ice Cream in York Village, said they switched from plastic to compostable spoons. They will also be switching their straws shortly, bringing them in compliance with the new ordinance.
Eric Lemont said it took some time to find the compostable items in the marketplace. He said it was not a significant burden and that they are in no rush to return to plastic.
“I’m OK with whatever the town puts forward,” Lemont said.
Students involved in crafting the ordinance acknowledged that the cost of buying non-plastic goods will be higher for local businesses. One of those students, Aidan Ring, said he believed the change will still be worth it.
“I think people understand it’s a cost,” Ring said. “Honestly, at some point, the whole state will be in this together, you know? And also, plastic pollution is a cost that all of society has to share.”
Will Trump's executive order impact York ordinance?
For Trump, the executive order he issued is about “bringing back common sense.”
“Paper straws often come individually wrapped in plastic, undermining the environmental argument for their use,” his administration states on the White House’s official website.
The administration says bans on plastic straws in cities and states throughout the country are the result of “caving to pressure from woke activists who prioritize symbolism over science.”
The White House also argues that paper straws are more expensive, are not as environmentally friendly, and “use chemicals that may carry risks to human health ... and can bleed from the straw into a drink.”
“The irrational campaign against plastic straws has forced Americans to use nonfunctional paper straws,” the White House says on its website. “This ends under President Trump.”
But Trump's paper straw executive order does not directly override local or state laws banning plastic straws.
Victoria Simon, the chair of the town Recycling Committee, said York has no intention of changing its ordinance. Efforts to support the ordinance and pursue other environmental measures regarding plastics will continue, she said.
Simon serves as an adviser to the high school’s Eco Club and helped its students put their proposed ordinance together.
“We – meaning, those of us who care about the environment and care about protecting our beautiful state and our town – are going to continue to fight to reduce single-use plastic, as we’ve been doing, regardless of what Trump does and what Trump says,” Simon said.
Contributing: Joey Garrison and Beth Weise, Paste BN