Walk into a U.K. Mickey D's next month and you'll have to ask for your own straw — and it may look a little different than you're used to. As part of McDonald's global effort to make stores more environmentally friendly, 1,300 locations across the U.K. are testing out paper straws instead of plastic ones.
The change will begin this May, Sky News reports. The plastic straws that McDonald's currently uses are recyclable, and even though many U.K. locations now have recycling units with spaces for plastic, the straws don't always end up in the right location. The new straws will be made of biodegradable paper and have recycled paper around them. They'll also be kept behind the counter, and employees will ask guests if they want one when they order instead of automatically putting one in the bag.
McDonald's U.K. CEO Paul Pomroy told Sky News that the next step will be making cup lids recyclable for both hot and cold drinks. All these efforts are part of McDonald's global strategy to make all guest packaging come from renewable, recycled or certified sources by 2025.
So far, they're halfway there, with changes made to stores across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Japan and China. The company's other big goal is to recycle guest packaging in 100% of McDonald’s restaurants by the same year.
This probably won't make a big different to customers, unless the straws are the kind that fall apart when they get wet (a.k.a., the worst). Some changes have already been implemented, like switching out the sandwich packaging made with recyclable cardboard. If anything, it'll give us a reason to feel a little less guilty the next time we stop by the drive-thru. We're helping save the environment!
h/t Buzzfeed
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