 Image copyright PA Image caption Paper straws will replace the plastic ones 
 
 McDonald's will replace plastic straws with paper ones in all its UK and Ireland restaurants, starting from September. Several large UK restaurant chains such as Pizza Express and Wagamama have already stopped using plastic straws. "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," said Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonald's UK and Ireland. The change, which will begin to take effect in September, follows trials of paper straws at select locations. The transition is set to start in September and will be completed by 2019. Environment Secretary Michael Gove called it a "significant contribution" to helping the environment, adding that it was "a fine example to other large businesses". The ban does not yet extend to the rest of the chain's global empire, but trials will begin in selected restaurants in the US, France and Norway. Related: Europe plans ban on plastic cutlery, straws and more 
 
 In April, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced the United Kingdom would look to ban plastic-stemmed cotton swabs, stirrers and straws. But many businesses, including Waitrose, Costa Coffee, and Wagamama, have already started to take action. Most straws are made from plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene, which unless recycled take hundreds of years to decompose. McDonald's joins a growing number of major companies looking to reduce their use of plastic.
– "A move on straws" is afoot across the pond, and McDonald's is driving the push. The fast-food chain is nixing plastic straws and moving to paper in all of its Ireland and United Kingdom restaurants in what the UK's environment secretary calls a "significant contribution" to going green, the BBC reports. Those locations currently use 1.8 million plastic straws per day. The straw switchover will start in September and be fully in place by 2019. The initiative comes after a trial run there, and new paper-straw trials are set for some McDonald's locations in France, Norway, Sweden, Australia, and the US, CNBC notes. CNNMoney notes that, per trash-mapping app Litterati, plastic straws are the sixth most common type of litter in the world. Only about 1% of plastic straws are recycled, and, because of their combination polypropylene-polystyrene makeup, they can take hundreds of years to decompose. Some advocates say plastic straws are safer for certain customers with disabilities, but McDonald's says the plastic versions will still be available upon request "for those that require it."