FACTBOX-Trump pushes for use of plastic straws in US, defies global trend of countries imposing a ban

ReutersFeb 11, 2025 8:46 PM

Feb 11 - President Donald Trump in a new executive order inked on Monday encouraged the U.S. government and consumers to purchase plastic drinking straws at a time when several countries have issued a ban on non-biodegradable single-use plastics.

The new order backtracks on Biden administration's efforts to lower consumption of such plastics, which damage ecosystems and contaminate food supplies, as well as a policy to end the use of all single-use plastic products on federal lands by 2032.

Following is the list of countries that have imposed bans on single-use plastics after the United Nations on World Environment Day in 2018, called for "biggest-ever worldwide cleanup" of plastic pollution:

Country	Date of ban announcement	Related articles
Nigeria	June 26, 2024	Nigeria's ban on single-use plastics, which was announced and started with government offices last year, expanded nation-wide in January.
India	July 1, 2022	India imposed a ban on single-use plastics on items ranging from straws to cigarette packs.
Chile	February 2022	Chile phases out use of plastic cups, straws, takeout container, and more after a law regulating the single-use plastics enters into force.
France	2021	France banned plastic straws, cups, cutlery and styrofoam takeaway boxes from 2021.
England	October 1, 2020	England's ban on supplying plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds was imposed in 2020.
Kenya	June 2020	Kenya imposed toughest laws against plastic bags in 2017. It announced ban on plastic items including straws, as per Associated Press.
Bangladesh	January 2020	Bangladesh's High Court ordered the government to ban single-use plastics in coastal areas, hotels and restaurants.
China	2020	China unveiled its plans to ban use of plastics, including single-use straws by the end of 2020, according to BBC News.
Vancouver, Canada	November 28, 2019	Vancouver was one of the first major Canadian cities to enact a wide-reaching ban on the use of plastic straws and bags. It was imposed from April 2020.
Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, United States	2019	Some cities in the U.S. had proposed or enacted plastic straw bans and restrictions.
Tanzania	July 2019	Tanzania banned single-use plastics.
Taiwan	July 2019	Taiwan initiated its first stage ban on single-use plastic straws, as per Taiwan News.
Queensland, Australia	July 2018	A few Australian states including Queensland banned the use of single-use plastics which further added plastic straws, according to Queensland government's website.

Source: Media reports

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