Donald Trump has signed an executive order demanding a return to plastic straws, claiming their impact on marine life was limited and that paper versions “explode”.

The president’s directive rips up the target set by Joe Biden, his predecessor, to eliminate single-use plastic utensils, such as straws, across government agencies by 2035.

“We’re going back to plastic straws,” Mr Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office on Monday.

“These things don’t work, I’ve had them many times and on occasion, they break, they explode. If something’s hot, they don’t last very long, like a matter of minutes, sometimes a matter of seconds. It’s a ridiculous situation,” he said.