Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has announced it will no longer use plastic straws in its drinks starting in January.
The chain, one of the country's biggest in the UK which had pubs in Burton, Swadlincote and Uttoxeter, is banning single-use plastic straws from all 900 venues; including The Lord, in Burton, the Sir Nigel Gresley, in Swadlincote, and the Old Swan, in Uttoxeter, in a bid to be more environmentally friendly.
As of 2018, the pub and restaurant chain will ban plastic straws and replace them with biodegradable paper ones.
It comes with the hope that other restaurants and bars will follow suit and stop using plastic straws that end up in the sea and landfill and contribute towards pollution and global warming, said a Wetherspoon's spokesman.
He said: "We have decided to stop using plastic straws across our 900 pubs in the UK and Republic of Ireland by the end of this year.
"In addition, and with immediate effect, straws will no longer be automatically added to drinks, although they remain available for customers if requested. From January 2018, all of our pubs will use biodegradable paper straws."
JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said: "These changes are part of an overall commitment from the company to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste produced. We believe that Wetherspoon pub-goers will welcome this."
