We want McDonald's NZ to introduce a consistently applied straw on request policy nationwide. 

We are three Hamilton Girls’ High School students who are passionate about making a positive change to our environment. 

After contacting McDonald's through their website, questioning their plastic straw usage and the idea of ‘straws on request,’ their response wasn’t very useful and our concerns were quickly brushed off.
Rather than commenting on New Zealand McDonald’s individual environmental aims, McDonald’s only addressed their ‘worldwide’ recycling goal that they plan to implement by 2025 (7 years from now). Considering the amount of plastic in our oceans is estimated to triple by 2025.

Yes, they have introduced the idea of ‘asking for a straw’ in Taupo (as a trial) and a few other restaurants around New Zealand but it has not been implemented consistently nationwide and we don’t see why not? UK McDonalds have now banned straws, not to mention Australian and Irish restaurants also making a start. 

With 167 restaurants around the country, reducing 1 straw a day in each one is enough to start making a difference. 

As a country we use 540 million plastic straws a year and each one of those straws takes 200 years to break down. This in hand contributes to the fact that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

It is time to make a change!!!

For further updates you can visit our Facebook page 'Macca's shrugs off straw request NZ'

Chelsea West, Haydee Anson, Abbey Huriwai