McDonald's plastic straws will be ditched completely in all UK restaurants from September

McDonald's has started using paper straws across the UK
PA

McDonald’s is set to replace its plastic straws with paper ones across all of its restaurants in UK and Ireland from September.

The roll-out of the paper alternative comes as pressure grows on companies to reduce single-use plastic packaging and products.

The global fast food chain currently uses a staggering 1.8 million straws every day in the UK alone, according to the BBC.

Beginning in September, the move is expected to be completed next year.

It comes amid concerns over plastic pollution in the oceans where items such as straws end up harming wildlife like turtles and fish.

The Government unveiled plans that could see plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds banned from sale in England as part of efforts to cut the amount of waste which ends up rivers and oceans.

McDonald's said it had found two suppliers to meet its needs for paper straws, the start-up Transcend Packaging based in Wales, and Huhtamaki, a global company which will produce the straws at its plant in Belfast.

The restaurant chain has conducted a trial of the paper replacements at a handful of venues since April, and found customers reacted positively to the change, with the majority supporting the effort to protect the environment.

McDonald's has already taken steps in all its restaurants in the UK and Ireland to put plastic straws behind the counter to reduce waste.

The new straws will use paper coming from certified sustainable sources, the company said.

The firm is the latest to ditch plastic straws, with businesses including Burger King, JD Wetherspoon, Costa Coffee, Pizza Express and Wagamama all making the move away from them.

Paul Pomroy, chief executive of McDonald's UK and Ireland, said: "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.

"Over the past few months we've been working closely with supplier partners to find a solution that works both for our customers, and that the supply is there given the size of our business.

"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."

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