Straw request shrugged off
Three Hamilton high school students are publicly challenging McDonald’s to ditch plastic straws nationwide.
And even though the fast-food giant has a couple of small initiatives on straw use, it seems to have no intention of expanding that initiative any time soon.
But that won’t stop Chelsea West, Haydee Anson and Abbey Huriwai from continuing to challenge the international giant.
Chelsea, Haydee and Abbey are Year 13 students at Hamilton Girls’ High. They want McDonald’s restaurants nationwide to stop dishing out plastic straws with every drink.
The girls reckon that if the fast food giant adopts a ‘‘straw on request policy’’, other food outlets would follow suit.
The trio are part of a global trend of younger people pushing for solutions to climate change and pollution, experts say.
The girls were disgusted after watching a video of a plastic straw being pulled out of a turtle’s nose.
In a country of 4 million people, New Zealanders use 540 million plastic straws a year.
The straws, made from polypropylene, can take 200 years to biodegrade.
The girls were inspired by a petition launched in the UK on the website SumOfUs, which sparked McDonald’s restaurants there to roll out a paper alternative for straws in all 1361 branches from September. The young women want to see the same implemented in New Zealand.
‘‘There are 167 McDonald’s [restaurants] in New Zealand; one less straw a day is 167 less,’’ Haydee said. ‘‘McDonald’s promotes road safety, playgrounds for kids, they sponsor the Olympics, but what are they doing about the environment?’’
But when the students approached the franchise, a customer representative gave no indication of when the company might introduce a nationwide policy.
‘‘They kind of brushed it off and gave us their global plan,’’ Haydee said.
McDonald’s supplied a written statement when approached for an interview by Stuff.
‘‘In February, we started a trial in our Taupo¯ restaurant to reduce single-use straws, which has been well received and supported by customers. Several years ago, we also ran a waste audit in restaurants, which provided practical measures we could take back of house for recycling and to reduce waste to landfill.’’
But it’s not enough, the girls say. ‘‘The UK Government of Science said that the amount of plastic would triple by as early as 2025,’’ Haydee said. ‘‘And 2025 is when McDonald’s said they would start making a change. But if plastic is already going to have been tripled by then, what’s the point?’’
Economist Shamubeel Eaqub thought the policy would be a smart move for McDonald’s.
As sustainability becomes more important to consumers – particularly younger people – it has become a selling point, Eaqub said.
Because these younger people have grown up hearing about the realities of climate change, consumer demands are changing.
‘‘This is how social change happens,’’ Eaqub said. ‘‘It feels like a lot of that shift is being led by young people, which is fantastic. Because ultimately, it is going to be future generations [affected].
‘‘What is interesting is just how quickly this change is now happening. We’ve known the science behind climate change and pollution and plastics for a long time, but it’s very hard to make that shift.
‘‘These ideas have gone from essentially being the hairy jumper-wearing fringe types to essentially being mainstream.’’
It could even save the franchise a bit of money, he said.
Consumer culture expert Lisa McNeill agreed it was a good idea.
Adding the extra step of asking for a straw prompts consumers to think about why it’s an option, she said.
McNeill, an associate professor at the University of Otago, said when her students are asked to come up with a new product idea and how to market it, 99 per cent of them come up with sustainability ideas.
‘‘It’s a big shift from, say, the previous decade, when people were saying, how do I come up with a product I can sell?’’
Aside from signage, the change wouldn’t cost much to implement, the girls said.
‘‘People will complain, someone
‘‘This is how social change happens . . . that shift is being led by young people.’’ Economist Shamubeel Eaqub
may need a straw, but there are other options, and you will be able to request one,’’ Abbey said.
Chelsea believed it was up to her generation to hold big businesses to account for their environmental impact.
‘‘I think we’re a very conscious era. We are very aware as a generation,’’ Chelsea said.
‘‘If you’re sitting in the restaurant, it’s not hard to take the lid off the cup and drink it like you would drink it at home.
‘‘You’ll feel good about yourself when you don’t use a straw.’’