Fast food giants super-size their block on 50m plastic straws.. it will Mac a massive difference
Firm reveal use of paper alternatives at city outlets
The world’s largest fast food chain have introduced paper straws at their busiest outlets in Scotland in a stunning victory for our Last Straw campaign.
McDonald’s have brought in the environmental ly f riendly alternatives at nine restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The move will eventually take more than 50million plastic straws out of circulation in Scotland. The chain use about 150,000 straws every day north of the Border.
They’ll roll out a full switch to paper straws at their other restaurants in Scotland and the rest of Britain by next year.
The Sunday Mail has been campaigning to make Scotland the first country in Europe to be free of plastic straws, which can take 500 years s to decompose and are e damaging to marine life. e. Alternatives include paper er or compostable versions. .
Our campaign has seen en more than 10million plastic tic straws eliminated from use this year.
We told last month how ow Scot land’s la rgest pub operators, Greene King, plan to remove a million more and replace them with compostable versions.
Customers at McDonald ’ s unanimously backed the move when we asked them on Thursday. They suggestsuggested the chain could go furtfurther – by phasing out strstraws altogether or encouencouraging customers to bribring their own cups. ThThey said that they hopehoped more companies wouldwoul follow suit after the cchain’s move. PaperPa straws have beenbee introduced in the capital at branchesbra in Waverley MarMk et, South And An rew Street, Princes Street anand London Road. In Glasgow,Glasgow restaurants at Sauchiehall Street, St Enoch Centre, Argyle Street , Trongate and Finnieston have now made the
change. The Scottish Government have insisted they are committed to banning plastic straws – although the move was absent from their published plans for the coming year.
UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced a consultation on Monday which could see plastic straws banned in England within two years.
Paul Pomroy, chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said: “Following a successful trial, we’ve been rolling out paper straws in our restaurants. This will be completed in 2019.
“We’re pleased our announcement in June to move from recyclable plastic to paper straws was recognised by the Environment Secretary and look forward to seeing other businesses follow suit given the Government’s announcement this month.”
Holyrood Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said previously that legislation banning the manufacture of plastic straws could be in place by 2019.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We’re continuing to tackle our throwaway culture and remain totally committed to tackling the unnecessary use of plastic straws.
“We look forward to the findings of the expert panel we have established, which will report on issues including how the needs of disabled people who depend on plastic straws can be safeguarded. We are pleased to see how consumer pressure is leading to shops, cafes and restaurants removing or reducing the availability of plastic straws.”
Prior to the move by McDonald’s, campaigners estimated more than 10million plastic straws had already been taken out of circulation in Scotland since we launched our bid to end their use.
The damaging items are one of the top 10 items found in beach clean-ups across the globe and cause serious harm to wildlife and the environment.
A video of a sea turtle bleeding and in pain in Costa Rica as scientists removed a plastic straw from its nostril went viral in 2015 and raised awareness worldwide.
Pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes joined a grass roots environmental revolution following the launch of our Last Straw campaign in January.
Multinational and national chains, sports venues, music festivals and public bodies have moved to paper straws or other alternatives.
A move by pub chain JD Wetherspoon, who have 70 pubs in Scotland, is alone estimated to have prevented the use of 2.5 million plastic straws north of the Border.
Changes made by other major chains such as Costa Coffee, Cafe Nero, Starbucks, Pret a Manger and Wagamama have resulted in a similar amount being withdrawn.
Public bodies such as the Scottish Government and Parliament, councils and major festivals and events have also added their support.