Why can't they just remove the lid and sip like from a cup ?

[ianh]

Don't like the "feel" of the new paper straws, it's like you left the paper on the plastic ones by mistake, plus you "need" a straw if you get a drink with ice as the ice gets in the way if you drink it normally and bangs your teeth, leading to spills.

 

[SMN]

Don't like the "feel" of the new paper straws, it's like you left the paper on the plastic ones by mistake, plus you "need" a straw if you get a drink with ice as the ice gets in the way if you drink it normally and bangs your teeth, leading to spills.

+1. They are horrible to drink with. It actually puts me off going to Maccers at the moment.

 

[kaiowas]

the oldest known straw is 5,000 years old, made of gold and encrusted with lapis lazuli.

Clearly a much more durable material than paper, and there have been zero reported cases of them causing harm to marine life. As a solution to this issue we should petition McDonalds to start using straws made from gold and precious stones!

 

[200sols]

Don't like the "feel" of the new paper straws, it's like you left the paper on the plastic ones by mistake, plus you "need" a straw if you get a drink with ice as the ice gets in the way if you drink it normally and bangs your teeth, leading to spills.

Learn to drink properly instead of ruining the planet?

 

[Meddling-Monk]

Went to McD yesterday with one of my daughters. Noticed our store had a change of straws. Tried it, and it was surprisingly OK for softdrinks, survived for over two hours without affecting the taste of the drink of the ability to sip through the straw. Didn't try milkshakes with it, but the last time I tried a Milkshake with a paper straw was over at Pizza Hut, and at first it was OK, but very quickly became soggy and difficult to use (largely from the end stuck in the drink itself). And the container the milkshake came in was NOT suitable for sipping via the actual container. I'd imagine it'll be largely the same with the McD situation except for the fact that the McD milkshake comes in a cup that is drinkable from.

 

[wesimmo]

It's difficult to remember to do that, we've been conditioned by a lifetime of free bags with anything and 10p isn't much of a financial penalty to anyone. Monday to Friday I tend to have a backpack with me for work stuff and I have a couple bags in that but often at the weekend I'll just forget. Make bags £5 and donate that to charity

It's really not that difficult. You must put the bins out or something like that?: Make it part of that routine to top up your car or backpack.

If we all do little things while we work on the bigger fixes it'll be less of an issue to fix.

If you're in a car full throttle at a wall and the steering fails you don't just resign yourself and keep your foot planted, you brake as hard as you can and hope the impact is survivable.

 

[esmozz]

I can't find a source for this right now, but I read it a while ago and it seemed credible.

80% of all plastic waste found in the oceans is comes from the mouths of just 10 rivers in Africa and Asia.

Stuff like using papers straws in UK Maccy D's is just a meaningless gesture. And I doubt very much plastic from the UK makes its way into oceans anyway as we do have fairly extensive recycling systems in place.

That's not to say recycling in the UK could'nt be improved significantly.

 

[ianh]

Learn to drink properly instead of ruining the planet?

Stuff like using papers straws in UK Maccy D's is just a meaningless gesture. And I doubt very much plastic from the UK makes its way into oceans anyway as we do have fairly extensive recycling systems in place.

I'm siding with esmozz rather than 200sols in this debate. If people think reducing the minuscule amount of straws the UK uses (compared to the rest of the world) will change anything you need to leave your UK-based echo chamber and look at how bad the rest of the world is with producing waste. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try something but the hyperbole of UK straws "ruining the planet" is just OTT rubbish -yeah lets reduce 0.000000000001%* of the worlds plastic waste by swapping UK straws and reducing the customers enjoyment!!!!!

There must be some form of coating that can be applied to the paper straw which prevents all the issues seen so far, but I bet it costs way too much to actually use unless McD's start charging 5p per straw (I've no issue with that).

* - Hyperbole works both ways

 

[Meaker]

The paper straw was easier to drink the milkshake with, it's wider meaning you need less pressure.

 

[200sols]

If people think reducing the minuscule amount of straws the UK uses

Basically your logic is 'others are worse so why bother' ?

According to the BBC Mcdonalds uses 1.8million straws per day in the UK so its not a tiny figure either, and why can we not be world leaders on sustainable living?

 

[Hagar]

Bring back the Lyons Tea shop, we did not have any of this plastic versus paper straws arguments, bins full to overflowing with cups, bags, trays and happy meals cartons.

 

[dowie]

McDonalds knowingly and deliberately served coffee at an extremely dangerous temperature despite repeated injuries. They were not serving "a hot drink" since a drink must be drinkable in order to be a drink. Drinking a liquid at the temperature McDonalds was serving it at would have been fatal, therefore it was not a drink.

The victim in this case suffered severe and extensive burns requiring a lot of medical treatment and, of course, never completely healing. They initially asked only for McDonalds to cover their medical expenses, the medical expenses they incurred because McDonalds knowingly and deliberately created a hazard. McDonalds refused.

They were serving a hot drink. Have you never ordered a cup of tea in the UK? Should I be able to bankrupt any cafe owners if I spill a cup of tea down myself?

She got a takeaway drink then put it between her legs in the car park, removed the lid and split it on herself.

Yes a hot drink is hot, adults should be aware of this.

I make these “extremely dangerous”, as you call them, hot drinks every day at home, in fact the ones I make are even more dangerous as they’re hotter (with water straight from the kettle) and the mugs I use at home don’t even have a lid.... strangely enough I don’t tend to stick them between my legs as that would be a silly thing to do.

 

[h4rm0ny]

The 3 biggest CO2 producers... China.. USA.. and Russia.. why do they not go there and protest since that is where the problem is..Bunch of idiots getting sick of them.... {rage over}

China may be the biggest polluter right now - we hear this all the time as a reason we shouldn't improve ourselves, but China is engaging in a massive program of nuclear power station building. That's going to have a huge difference long-term. A shame I can't get these Climate Emergency mobs to join me in campaigning for more nuclear power.

Why don't they charge for plastic ones and donate that money to charity like all the super markets do with bags.

This would probably work. They could also charge for metal, reusable straws. You can get a pack of eight including delivery for £3.99 on a certain online store. I'm sure McDonald's could do them for 30p each. Same principle as the supermarket bags. Pretty easy to steam clean them in a machine I would imagine so they could easy have a system whereby you drop in your old one at the end of a meal if you're eating in as well and there's no charge for that.

I'd like to see public tap water fountains at all fast food restaurants so you can just fill up your own bottle for free in a reusable bottle to drink strawless and then get a drink free option with meals.

This is a really good idea. They should do that.

The only thing I haven't quite managed to work into my routine yet is figuring out how to carry a second resuable cup just for coffee so I can get free coffee from Waitrose whenever I walk by (and of course potentially use it normal coffee shops)

Get one of those silicone collapsible coffee mugs. They squish down to around the size of a plastic coffee-cup lid and pull out to full size.

 

[Double07]

FFS people just need to be put down. They moan when they use plastic, now they moan that they dont use plastic. Forget culling badgers, humans would be a great place to start. Id go for about 7 billion in year one.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Paper straws, plastic lids . One picture of a turtle with a straw in its nose and some plastic in the ocean near a storm hit island, picked up by the media and the world goes crazy. Drop in the ocean. The biggest problem is overpopulation - but I don't see anyone wanting to address that anytime soon.

I know someone attending these protests. Guess how she got there. Yup, an Uber and it won't be too long til she is back flying on holiday.

Basically your logic is 'others are worse so why bother' ?

According to the BBC Mcdonalds uses 1.8million straws per day in the UK so its not a tiny figure either, and why can we not be world leaders on sustainable living?

Because we end up footing the bill and it is absolutely insignificant compared to the big polluting countries. Oh yes, lets lead, the US and China are guaranteed to follow.

 

[200sols]

Oh yes, lets lead, the US and China are guaranteed to follow.

They will if they see it can be done, the people will demand it eventually. Its not insignificant either, I hear this all the time about different things people saying it doesn't matter or... 'but China....' all of those things together will make a difference. The only thing that is certain is that if we do nothing things will just get worse.

 

[d_brennen]

They were serving a hot drink. Have you never ordered a cup of tea in the UK? Should I be able to bankrupt any cafe owners if I spill a cup of tea down myself?

She got a takeaway drink then put it between her legs in the car park, removed the lid and split it on herself.

Yes a hot drink is hot, adults should be aware of this.

I make these “extremely dangerous”, as you call them, hot drinks every day at home, in fact the ones I make are even more dangerous as they’re hotter (with water straight from the kettle) and the mugs I use at home don’t even have a lid.... strangely enough I don’t tend to stick them between my legs as that would be a silly thing to do.

It is quite bonkers isn't it? I drink black coffee, essentially freshly boiled water with tiny amount of plant extract suspended in it. How I am not in hospital every day?!

 

[d_brennen]

They will if they see it can be done, the people will demand it eventually. Its not insignificant either, I hear this all the time about different things people saying it doesn't matter or... 'but China....' all of those things together will make a difference. The only thing that is certain is that if we do nothing things will just get worse.

I wonder how long the "but China..." whataboutism lasts. They will be leaders in nuclear, renewable and probably fusion power as well before anyone realises

 

[ianh]

Basically your logic is 'others are worse so why bother' ?

Thank you for telling me what my logic is, even if you are getting it wrong because you didn't read what I said -

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try something

Once you leave your echo chamber it's much easier to understand people, you'll make far fewer mistakes.

According to the BBC Mcdonalds uses 1.8million straws per day in the UK so its not a tiny figure either, and why can we not be world leaders on sustainable living?

Considering the world uses over a billion a day, why do you think our minuscule number makes a difference. Again, for the terminal stupid, I'm not saying "don't bother" I'm just pointing out that, other than making the middle class "feel good", the net effect of only McD staws being paper is effective zero.

 

[Roar87]

I wonder how long the "but China..." whataboutism lasts. They will be leaders in nuclear, renewable and probably fusion power as well before anyone realises

If by leaders you mean they'll have stolen technology from US and European scientists and backwards engineered it, then maybe