Marriott To Ditch Plastic Straws By July 2019

(RTTNews) - Marriott International has become the latest major company to ditch plastic straws.

The world's largest hotel company said Wednesday that it would eliminate the use of plastic straws from its more than 6,500 properties by next July. The company expects the decision could eliminate the use of more than 1 billion plastic straws per year and about a quarter billion stirrer.

"We are proud to be among the first large U.S. companies to announce that we're eliminating plastic straws in our properties worldwide," said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International. "Removing plastic straws is one of the simplest ways our guests can contribute to plastic reduction when staying with us - something they are increasingly concerned about and are already doing in their own homes."

As part of the initiative, hotels will offer alternative straws upon request, the company said.

Earlier this month, Starbucks also announced its decision to drop plastic straws from its 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020. McDonald's also plans to eliminate the use of plastic straws at about 1,300 restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland.