McDonald's restaurants in Canada no longer will offer plastic cutlery, stir sticks or straws.
In an Oct. 7 news release, officials with McDonald's Canada — which represents more than 1,400 locations in that nation — said they will introduce wooden cutlery and stir sticks and paper straws by December.
They added that removal of these single-use plastic products supports McDonald's global commitment to source all its primary guest packaging from renewable, recycled or certified sources.
"By being part of the Canadian fabric and serving close to three million guests every day … McDonald's Canada is playing an important role in the ongoing reduction of single-use plastics in the country," Rob Dick, supply chain officer, McDonald's Canada, said in the release.
"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," he added.
According to the release, removing plastic cutlery, stir sticks and straws from McDonald's Canada locations will remove approximately 840 tons of plastics from the Canadian system annually.
The only exception to the list of eliminated items will be plastic spoons used with McFlurry ice cream products.
Chicago-based McDonald's Corp. has operated in Canada since 1967. The firm now employs almost 100,000 there. More than 85 percent of the $1 billion that Canadian franchises spend on food each year is purchased from Canadian suppliers.