McDonald's Canada will stop using plastic straws and cutlery by the end of the year.
The fast-food giant announced Thursday it will introduce wooden cutlery, stir sticks and paper straws at its 1,400 restaurants across the country by December 2021.
"By being part of the Canadian fabric and serving close to three million guests every day across more than 1,400 restaurants, McDonald's Canada is playing an important role in the ongoing reduction of single-use plastics in the country", says Rob Dick, supply chain officer at McDonald's Canada.
"By removing these single-use plastics in our restaurants, we show our ongoing commitment to minimize our environmental footprint and to help protect the planet for future generations.”
The new straws and cutlery are already being rolled out. An exemption is being made for McFlurry spoons, which will remain plastic.
McDonald's says the move will remove about 840 tons of plastics from the Canadian system annually.