McDonald’s has announced it will be replacing all plastic straws with paper ones across all its UK restaurants.

A roll-out of paper straws in all 1,361 restaurants will begin from September, with the process to be completed next year.

The move comes as pressure grows on companies to reduce single-use plastic products and packaging, amid concerns over plastic pollution in the oceans where items such as straws end up harming wildlife like turtles and fish.

The government has unveiled plans that could see plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds banned from sale in England as part of efforts to cut the amount of waste which ends up rivers and oceans.

McDonald's said it had found two suppliers to meet its needs for paper straws, the start-up Transcend Packaging based in Wales, and Huhtamaki, a global company which will produce the straws at its plant in Belfast.

The restaurant chain has conducted a trial of the paper replacements at a handful of venues since April, and found customers reacted positively to the change, with the majority supporting the effort to protect the environment.

McDonald's has already taken steps in all its restaurants in the UK and Ireland to put plastic straws behind the counter to reduce waste.

The company is the latest to ditch plastic straws, with businesses including Burger King, JD Wetherspoon, Costa Coffee, Pizza Express and Wagamama all making the move away from them.

But, is there an even more environmentally friendly way of solving this? Should they just get rid of straws altogether? Should people have to bring their own metal straws? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook.