McDonald's not ready to let go of plastic straws

McDonald’s not ready to let go of plastic straws

McDonald’s is in the process of removing potentially contaminated salads from its restaurants, and re-supplying them. | AP file photo

NEW YORK — McDonald’s isn’t ready to stop offering plastic straws, despite environmental concerns.

A shareholder proposal to pressure the world’s biggest hamburger chain on the matter was voted down at the company’s annual meeting Thursday. The proposal by activist group SumOfUs asked for a report about the “business risks” of using plastic straws at the chain’s 37,000 locations globally.

McDonald’s said it was already working on finding alternatives to plastic straws and urged shareholders to reject the proposal.

The push to ban plastic straws has been getting more attention lately. A New York city councilman introduced a bill this week saying restaurants should replace plastic straws with paper or metal alternatives.

Seattle and Miami Beach have passed bans on plastic straws. The city of Malibu, California, is banning plastic cutlery and straws.

• Banning plastic straws won’t solve plastic pollution problem: scientists

• White Sox doing away with plastic straws at Guaranteed Rate Field

• Dunkin’ Donuts ditching foam cups

• More coverage of McDonald’s Corp.

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