McDonald’s are ditching plastic straws in all of their UK restaurants from September, and are introducing paper straws instead. As the pressure on companies in the UK to reduce their plastic waste grows, more food outlets and food manufacturers are looking for new ways to cut down on their single-use plastic waste.
Undoubtedly, McDonald’s is one of the largest companies in the world, with a high carbon footprint. Their efforts to reduce single-use plastic waste will make a noticeable impact, and there is hope that more fast-food franchises around the world will make the change to paper straws and reduce their plastic waste.
The fast food chain uses 1.8 million single-use plastic straws every day in the UK, and they have found two suppliers, with one based in the UK to supply the new paper straws. The paper straws will be produced responsibly from certified sustainable sources.
In a press release issued by the company, McDonald’s said: “This move supports McDonald’s goal to source 100 per cent of guest packaging from renewable, recycled, or certified sources by 2025 and to have guest packaging recycling in all restaurants globally.”
Francesca DeBiase, Executive Vice President of Global Supply Chain and Sustainability, said: “McDonald’s is committed to using our scale for good and working to find sustainable solutions for plastic straws globally.
“In addition to the exciting news from the UK today, we are testing straw alternatives in other countries to provide the best experience for our customers. We hope this work will support industry wide change and bring sustainable solutions to scale.”