McDonald's Malaysia To Stop Handing Out Straws Automatically Starting 1 August
Signs in the fast food chain state that plastic straws will no longer be provided starting next month, unless requested for at the counter.
By Tamara Jayne — 27 Jul 2018, 01:22 PM
In an effort to reduce plastic waste, chain restaurants around the world have been encouraging customers to stop using plastic straws
McDonald's Malaysia have also jumped on the bandwagon by introducing a 'Say No To Straws' campaign starting 1 August
Although an official statement has yet to be released by the fast food giant, some branches in Bangsar and Penang have already put up signs reminding customers that plastic straws will no longer be provided next month, unless requested for at the counter.
If you eat out everyday, you will find that a plastic straw can be found in almost every cold drink, which explains why Malaysians have been said to use about 31 million plastic straws daily
Although a straw seems minuscule in the world of plastic, it is said that one straw can take up to 200 years to decompose. Multiply that with the amount that Malaysians use daily and the number is no longer as small as we think.
The detrimental impact that plastic leaves on our planet became even more obvious when a sea turtle was found with a plastic straw stuck up its nostrils in 2015.
Malaysia has been slowly taking steps towards reducing plastic wastage by replacing polysterene food packaging and plastic bags with recyclable versions
In 2009, a 'Say No To Plastic Bags' campaign was launched in Penang, when the government required customers to pay 20 cents for each plastic bag used.
Customers were instead encouraged to bring their own recyclable bags when shopping. The initiative was soon implemented in other states around Malaysia.
