McDonald’s Corp on Wednesday became the latest big company in Britain to say that the last straw has come for plastic — with plans to start using drinking straws made from paper.
The move comes after estimates that 8.5 billion straws are used in Britain every year — or more than 23 million a day — which is contributing to the death of marine animals, according to the Marine Conservation Society.
The fast-food giant joins a list of nightclubs and restaurant venues — including Pizza Express, pub chain Wetherspoons, and supermarket Waitrose — which have pledged to exchange plastic straws for bio-degradable alternatives.
“The reduction and use of plastics is a hugely important issue — for our business, for the sector and for society,” McDonald’s UK chief executive Paul Pomroy said in a statement.
McDonald’s currently only uses recyclable straws, but would pilot paper straws in some restaurants starting in May and keep them behind the counter, giving customers the choice of whether to have a straw, he said.
The widening ban on plastic straws comes as UN statistics show that 8 million tonnes of plastic — bottles, food packaging and other waste — enter the ocean each year, killing marine life and entering the human food chain.
Scientists have urged tougher restrictions on plastic waste.
About 200 nations in December last year agreed to limit plastic pollution of the oceans, warning it could outweigh fish by 2030.
The Marine Conservation Society said about 70 percent of litter on beaches was made of plastic with items such as straws, cups and stirrers making up more than 20 percent of the litter.
“We really want to see all plastic straws being removed from all the fast-food chains... Customers clearly do not choose to recycle convenience packaging,” Marine Conservation Society campaign officer Emma Cunningham said in a statement.
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