Starbucks has joined the number of businesses pledging to cut back on plastic by announcing it will phase out plastic straws by 2020. The coffee giant on Monday announced it would eliminate plastic drinking straws and bring in lids designed not to need straws in stores within two years to combat the stress they put on marine life and the environment as a whole. It is the largest company so far to made the pledge. Viral videos showing straws littering beaches, choking marine life, and even floating through the Arctic Ocean have turned them into a focal point of the campaign against plastic. It's estimated that nine million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the sea each year, of which straws make four per cent. The chain, which is known for its iced coffee frappuccinos, has said it will replace its current straws with eco-friendly alternatives. Starbucks estimates the switch will eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws a year. Starbucks is banning plastic straws Credit: PA Responding to one concerned Twitter user wondering whether they would have to drink any cold drink 'straight', a Starbucks spokesperson said straws made of paper or compostable plastic would be available instead. The global movement sees similar franchises committing to cutting down on plastic straw usage. Plastic consumption | The war on straws Costa has said it will only provide them on request by the end of this year, while Pizza Express in January said it would replace plastic straws in all of its restaurants by summer 2018. McDonald's shareholders voted down a proposal requesting a report on plastic straws in May, but the fast food chain recently said it would switch to paper straws in the UK and Ireland by next year, and test alternatives to plastic straws in some US locations. Starbucks' decision comes one week after its hometown, Seattle, banned plastic drinking straws and utensils.
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