McDonald's is replacing plastic straws with paper ones in its UK and Ireland restaurants..

The BBC reports that McDonald's uses 1.8 million straws a day in the UK alone.

"Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws," Paul Pomroy, the chief executive of McDonald's UK and Ireland, said.

McDonald's is ditching plastic straws in all of its 1,361 UK and Ireland restaurants in what could turn out to be a playbook for its operations in the rest of the world.

The company says paper straws, which are more environmentally friendly, will replace plastic ones starting in September.

"The government's ambitious plans, combined with strong customer opinion, has helped to accelerate the move away from plastic, and I'm proud that we've been able to play our part in helping to achieve this societal change."

McDonald's says the new straws will use paper from sustainable sources.

The ban on plastic straws comes as a result of a series of successful trials, which are soon set to start in the US, France, and Norway.