President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week requiring the use of plastic straws again, but only in federal buildings and offices.

State and local laws in New Jersey will remain the same, but this has reignited the debate about paper and plastic.

“The paper straws change the drink flavor,” said Lynn Myskowski, of Eatontown.

She tells News 12 New Jersey that she refuses to use a paper straw.

“I tell my husband to go out to the car to get my plastic straw that I carry with me at all times,” she said.

Since 2021, New Jersey’s plastic straws have been by request only. A ban on plastic bags and foam to-go containers followed, partly because of what organizations like Clean Ocean Action found to be the biggest beach and water pollutants.

“We encourage people to just really minimize plastic as much as possible, particularly when it comes to single-use,” said Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Action’s executive director.

Clean Ocean Action says its latest annual beach sweeps show plastic straws are the fifth highest shore pollutant in New Jersey – just one traditional plastic straw takes 200 years to decompose.

In 2018, three years before the state laws changed, restaurant entrepreneur Tim McCloone switched out plastic straws at his restaurants, like Robinson Ale House in Red Bank.

“It’s inconvenient and people don’t like things that are inconvenient, and I think that’s what the president was saying,” said McCloone.

“We use pasta straws and we have one now it’s called a phade and it will decompose,” he said.

McCloone’s phade straws feel like plastic and will decompose in six months.

For now, the laws in New Jersey will remain.

The paper/plastic debate could very well turn political in New Jersey over the next few months as the gubernatorial primary season approaches. Republican candidate Jack Ciatarelli has already publicly stated that he would end the plastic bag ban if he is elected governor.