In response to news that Donald Trump is selling plastic straws to his supporters because “liberal paper straws don’t work,” Greenpeace Oceans Campaign Director John Hocevar said:
“Donald Trump has based his entire presidency on lies and divisiveness, so it is no surprise that he is selling plastic straws because his presidency is a cheap throwaway with disastrous long term consequences. As usual, Trump has either missed the point or is outwardly lying to his base. The vast majority of plastic straws are not recycled in the U.S., which means they end up incinerated, piling up in landfills, or polluting our oceans. As communities across the country rally around various plastic bans, understanding that only 9 percent of all plastic has actually been recycled, Donald Trump is doubling down on preserving a lifeline for his friends in the chemical and fossil fuel industries. Shocking.
“Plastic straws are just the tip of the iceberg. People around the world understand that we can no longer rely on a material that is used for a few minutes that persists in our world for lifetimes, and that we need to shift toward systems of refill and reuse. As the G20 recently discussed global targets to reduce or phase out single-use plastics worldwide, the U.S. reportedly undermined those efforts and has publicly blamed countries in Asia for the pollution crisis. In fact, the United States creates most of the plastic used worldwide while offloading our plastic waste on countries without the infrastructure to handle it safely. This plastic straw gimmick shows just how clueless this administration still is on environmental issues.”
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Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace Senior Communications Specialist, P: 301-675-8766
