Straws might seem insignificant, inspiring jokes about the plastic vs. paper debate, but the plastic straw has come to symbolize a global pollution crisis over the past decade.

On Monday, President Donald Trump waded into the issue when he signed an executive order to reverse a federal push away from plastic straws, declaring that paper straws “don’t work” and don’t last very long. Trump said he thinks “it’s OK” to continue using plastic straws, although they’ve have been blamed for polluting oceans and harming marine life.

In 2015, video of a marine biologist pulling a plastic straw out of a turtle’s nose sparked outrage worldwide and countries and cities started banning them, starting with the Pacific Island nation Vanuatu and Seattle in 2018.

Here’s what to know about the larger fight over single-use plastics in the United States:

What happens to plastic straws?

More than 390 million plastic straws are used every day in the United States, most for 30 minutes or less, according to advocacy group Turtle Island Restoration Network.

Plastic straws are usually thrown away after one use, going on to litter beaches and waterways and potentially killing marine animals that mistake them for food.

The straws are not recyclable because they are so small. They take at least 200 years to decompose, the network said.

They break down into incredibly tiny bits of plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of rice. These microplastics have been found in a wide range of body tissues. Though research is still limited overall, there are growing concerns that microplastics in the body could potentially be linked to heart disease, Alzheimer’s and dementia, and other problems.

The advocacy group Beyond Plastics said that while plastics are often cheaper than paper products, the cheapest option is to skip the straw.

Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator who now heads up Beyond Plastics, said she hopes that people react to the executive order by committing to using fewer plastic straws and that local and state governments do, too.

“It’s easy to just kind of almost poke fun of this, ignore it,” she said Tuesday. “But this is a moment that we as individuals and state and local policymakers can make a statement that they disagree with this executive order and are committed to using less plastic straws. It’s not that hard to do.”

Several states and cities have banned plastic straws and some restaurants no longer automatically give them to customers.

What is being done globally?

President Joe Biden’s administration had committed to phasing out federal purchases of single-use plastics, including straws, from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.

The move was a way for the federal government to formally acknowledge the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the scale of the response required to effectively confront it.

Erin Simon, an expert on plastics and packaging at the World Wildlife Fund, said at the time that it sent a message around the world: If we can make change happen at scale, so can you.

The declaration came in July, just a few months before negotiators met in South Korea to try to finish crafting a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution. Negotiators didn’t reach an agreement late last year, but talks resume this year.

Under the Biden administration, the United States at first adopted a position viewed as favoring industry, stating that countries should largely develop their own plans instead of abiding by global rules. China, the United States and Germany are the biggest players in the global plastics trade.

The United States changed its position heading into South Korea. The delegation said it would support having an article in the treaty that addresses supply, or plastic production. More than 100 countries want an ambitious treaty that limits plastic production while tackling cleanup and recycling.

U.S. manufacturers have asked Trump to remain at the negotiating table but revert to the old position that focused on redesigning plastic products, recycling and reuse.

Aren’t other plastics a problem?

The environment is littered with single-use plastic food and beverage containers — water bottles, takeout containers, coffee lids, straws and shopping bags.

Every year, the world produces more than 400 million tons of new plastic. About 40% of all plastics are used in packaging, according to the United Nations.

In 2023, Ocean Conservancy volunteers collected more than 61,000 plastic straws and stirrers polluting beaches and waterways in the United States. There were even more cigarette butts, plastic bottles, bottle caps and food wrappers, the nonprofit said.

Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Negotiators at the United Nations climate talks known as COP28 agreed in 2023 the world must transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels and triple the use of renewable energy.

As pressure to reduce fossil fuels has increased globally, oil and gas companies have been looking more to the plastics side of their business as a market that could grow. Trump strongly supports and gets support from the oil and gas industry.

___

Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

Post Views: 0

Rep. Christine Hunschofsky is backing a bill to add screening requirements for individuals who care for children.

Hunschofsky, a Coconut Creek Democrat, filed the bill (HB 531) to ensure the safety of children in various care and enrichment programs by reinforcing background screening requirements and increasing public awareness.

The measure would revise and amend Florida statutes to define a “recreational enrichment program.” It specifies that such programs do not need to obtain a license from the Department of Health (DOH).

A recreational enrichment program is defined as an organization that provides activities for children — such as dance instruction, music instruction, gymnastics or martial arts — on an ongoing basis that takes place partially or fully indoors. The term does not include organizations licensed to provide child care.

While these organizations are not required to obtain a license, they are required to go through appropriate background screening for any of their personnel.

DOH, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Agency for Health Care Administration, would be required to develop and maintain a statewide public awareness campaign about background screening requirements.

DOH would be given access to the records of facilities to ensure they are compliant, and the bill offers DOH flexibility to adopt rules relating to the screening requirements for Summer day camps, Summer 24-hour camps and recreational enrichment programs.

The bill further states it is unlawful for any person, or agency — including family foster homes, Summer day camps, Summer 24-hour camps and recreational enrichment programs — to use or release the information within criminal or juvenile records for any purpose other than employment screening.

Screening requirements for foster homes, residential child care agencies, and child placing agencies would be amended to include any person over the age of 12 who is living on the premises. Family members of the owner or operator between the ages of 12 and 18 years are not required to be fingerprinted, however, they must be screened for delinquency records.

Volunteers assisting less than 10 hours per month are exempt from screening requirements if a screen person is present with them.

The bill further revises the remedies for failure to comply with screening requirements and updates penalty provisions. DOH may institute injunctive proceedings to enforce compliance, including terminating the operation of noncompliant programs.

Violations can result in misdemeanor or felony charges, depending on the severity and frequency. If passed, the bill will take effect July 1.

Post Views: 0

Some Florida lawmakers expressed their desires to save arts organizations that might shut their doors without an influx of state dollars, while others worried about their return on investment.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $32 million line-item vetoes stripped away funding for local theater groups, arts festivals, museums and more, sparking outrage in Florida last year.

Now, a House work group is one of several convening to review line-item vetoes from the 2024-25 budget DeSantis signed last year. The Republican-controlled Legislature has resisted the Governor following a clash over immigration policies. 

In a whirlwind 20-minute meeting on Tuesday, the House Combined Workgroup on Vetoed Libraries, Cultural and Historical Preservation Budget Issues did not make any decisions or give firm direction on what, if anything, could be funded.

Rep. Susan Plasencia, a Republican from Orlando chairing the group, said they have two more meetings to finish reviewing the vetoes by Feb. 19.

“This is an important part of our system of checks and balances,” she said as she emphasized reinstating the money is a member-driven process, and the panel debated how they should prioritize to decide whether state funding gets reinstated and what loses out.

“I think we need to look at our cost-benefit, I hate to say, return on investment, but what are we investing and what are we getting back for the citizens?” said Rep. Randy Maggard. “Are we using taxpayer money wisely?”

The Dade City Republican said he worried about money ending up in consultants’ pockets or being spent to redo a city hall, which he argued shouldn’t be paid by the state.

Meanwhile, Rep. Lindsay Cross warned that DeSantis’ funding cuts involving relatively small amounts of money could significantly impact arts organizations.

“A lot of these organizations are working on a pretty shoestring budget,” the St. Petersburg Democrat said. “Twenty thousand dollars from the state in lost funding could mean that a whole program has to go under.”

Rep. Darryl Campbell argued that the state needs to prioritize history, especially Black history, to teach the next generation.

“It’s not just about people coming in and learning the history, but it’s also about our future,” the Democrat from Fort Lauderdale said.

Post Views: 0