McDonald's is to stop using straws in China in a move aimed at protecting the environment by reducing plastic pollution.
Starting from November, the restaurant chain will pilot two approaches in 10 of its franchises in Beijing. Seven restaurants will stop offering straws to customers, while the other three will introduce a new "straw-free cup lids" as a replacement.
McDonald's has already started the switch from plastic to paper straws in the UK, Ireland and India.
Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems. The world uses a huge number of plastic straws every day, which can take hundreds of years to decompose if not recycled.
McDonald's is not the only business to take this action. Starbucks announced in July that it will ban plastic straws in all stores worldwide by 2020. Starbucks said it will provide recyclable "straw-free cup lid" and straws made of alternative materials such as paper or biodegradable plastics. In May, it launched biodegradable paper straws in 54 stores in the UK.
People in Beijing have expressed various opinions in response to McDonald's decision. Some say that there may be an inconvenience when drinking beverages, while others believe the straw is already part of the purchase and that it's unreasonable to not offer it if McDonald's doesn't plan to cut the price too. Meanwhile, some people express support for the environmentally-friendly move and say that they will carry their own stainless steel straws.
