McDonald’s is planning to opt out of using plastic straws, with paper straws in their UK and Ireland locations.
The fast-food restaurant chain uses 1.8 million straws a day in the UK. “Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws,” the firm said. Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose if not recycled.
This move follows a successful trial in selected restaurants earlier this year. The move to paper straws will be completed next year.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove called it a “significant contribution” to helping the environment, adding that it was “a fine example to other large businesses”.
The ban does not yet extend to the rest of the chain’s global empire, but trials will begin in selected restaurants in the US, France, and Norway.
