The company is currently working with local suppliers to find viable alternatives and will start a trial of paper straws in two restaurants from August.

The trial is part of a larger, long-term global effort to identify viable, sustainable alternatives to its current single use plastic straws.

It also further supports McDonald’s goals for 100% of guest packaging to be from renewable, recycled, or certified sources by 2025 and to have guest packaging recycling in all restaurants globally.

Robert Sexton, McDonald’s Australia Director of Supply Chain, said, “As one of the world’s largest restaurant businesses, we know we have the responsibility and opportunity to make significant change.

Together with the global business, we have been working for some time to find appropriate alternatives.

We know plastic straws is a topic our customers are passionate about and we will find a viable solution.”

Further to its commitments around plastic straws, McDonald’s is currently trialing cup recycling through a partnership with Simply Cups.

The trial, which launched in April in eight restaurants, includes segmented dining room bins to separate liquids, plastics, paper cups and general waste.

Robert Sexton said, “Beverage cups are a unique concern when it comes to recycling through normal paper recycling facilities due to the inner plastic lining.

By separating the cups through designated bins we can ensure cups are diverted to the right facility to recycle this material.

Our trials will provide useful learnings that will help to determine next steps for potential wider restaurant implementation.”

These initiatives are all part of McDonald’s ongoing effort to improve its impact on the environment.​