I think back to when I was young and they banned paper bags from grocery stores because super thin plastic bags were said to be better for the environment. It seems like environmentalism is just cyclical. Give it 20-30 years and they'll be banning paper/wood straws/utensils, just wait.

Edit: Now that I think about it more, they could try to standardize people brining their own permanent utensils, and sell permanent utensils to those who forget them, just like how grocery stores now will sell you cloth bags.

The politicians passing these laws don't care anything about pollution or the environmental impact. They only care about public perception.

This. Though there are some degradable products being made recently that are much better, but if a restaurant only has straws that degrade before I'm done drinking, or utensils that make the food taste nasty, I just won't shop there any more.