Apparently people aren’t lovin’ it after McDonald’s UK replaced its plastic straws with eco-friendly paper straws. Earlier this year, the fast-food chain decided to make the switch to reduce damage to the environment following a petition last year backed by almost 85,000 people.

However, after McDonald’s introduced white paper straws to replace red and yellow striped plastic ones, some customers have began to complain they can no longer enjoy their drinks — especially milkshakes. And now, thousands of customers are signing a petition to get rid of the new straws.

According to one Twitter user, the paper straws are just “a sheet of paper rolled up,” so its corners adhere together after just two sips of a milkshake. Another says the paper straws “saturate too easily and feel horrible” for sipping.

Despite the growing petition, don’t expect McDonald’s UK to change it’s mind any time soon. The fast food chain has said it’s committed to reducing plastic waste. A spokesperson for McDonald’s has defended that its suppliers have created special paper straws that are made to last in most liquids for at least 30 minutes. And some social media users are siding with McDonald’s, firing back at those who are asking for the return of plastic straws.

Do consumers really care about the environment?

McDonald’s customers believe they’ve come up with an ingenious way to avoid new paper straws — but it involves more plastic. Customers left furious with the new eco-friendly straws are now requesting coffee lids to place over their drinks instead. But while it means they can sip their drinks safe in the knowledge they won’t spill, it seems to defeat the object of cutting down on plastic to save the environment.

McDonald’s UK’s decision to stop using plastic straws has also seen a slew of them being listed for sale on eBay with smart sellers quick to spot the potential opportunity. In fact, one ambitious seller on eBay listed one under the heading: ‘£1,000 SUPER RARE plastic straw’. And now other would-be entrepreneurs are following suit with another listing advertising one for a staggering £5,000 (CDN$7543).

Sources: https://ca.style.yahoo.com/mcdonalds-paper-straws-092755382.html
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8966446/mcdonalds-customers-are-using-plastic-coffee-lids-to-avoid-hated-paper-straws/