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,

The bioplastics company, with an office in Shelton, collaborated with a UConn marine sciences team to evaluate the product’s biodegradation in marine ecosystems. The study was led by Hannah Collins, a marine sciences Ph.D. candidate, and her co-author, Larissa Tabb. Ward helped oversee the study as Collins’ graduate advisor.

President Donald Trump in a new executive order inked on Monday encouraged the U.S. government and consumers to purchase plastic drinking straws at a time when several countries have issued a ban on non-biodegradable single-use plastics.