McDonald's to replace plastic straws with paper
McDonald’s will begin replacing its plastic drinking straws with paper in all of its UK and Ireland branches, in a bid to reduce waste.
From September, the chain will begin rolling out the change at its more than 1,300 restaurants across the two countries.
The paper straws will disintegrate in the environment, rather than plastic ending up as litter or landfill.
Customers reacted positively to trials of moving plastic straws to behind the counter at some stores, with many enthusiastic about protecting the environment, chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland Paul Pomroy said in a statement.
“Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws but to do so without compromising their overall experience when visiting our restaurants.
“The government’s ambitious plans, combined with strong customer opinion, has helped to accelerate the move away from plastic and I’m proud that we’ve been able to play our part in helping to achieve this societal change,” he said.
McDonald’s is also testing alternatives to plastic straws in Belgium, France, the US and Norway.
There is no word yet on whether McDonald’s stores in Australia will follow the lead of the UK and Ireland, but here’s hoping.
