"President Trump does not understand why plastic straws have become the boogeyman of some businesses and Democratic-led cities that have sought to ban their use entirely.

"I do think we have bigger problems than plastic straws," he told reporters Friday. "You have a little straw, but what about the plates, the wrappers and everything else that are much bigger and they’re made of the same material?"

But pollution experts say there's a reason straws are sucking up so much attention: They can become particularly pernicious pieces of waste. And they're often easily replaceable with other alternatives."

Dino Grandoni reports for the Washington Post July 23, 2019. [2]