MANILA - McDonald's Philippines on Friday said it is testing the use of strawless lids for its cold drinks in select stores in a bid to reduce wastes by minimizing the need for straws.

The new lid design replaced the flat lids used for iced beverages such as soft drinks, iced tea, juices and iced coffee, the operator said in a statement.

The new strawless lids will be available for take-out, drive-thru and delivery across several of its stores, McDonald's Philippines said.

“By testing these strawless lids, we aim to continue our journey to reduce waste. Through this change, we will be able make strides in our waste reduction strategy, while ensuring that our consumers are able to enjoy their iced cold drinks along with their favorite McDonald’s meals, one less straw at a time," McDonald’s Philippines Corporate Communications Head Adi Hernandez said.

The shift is in line with the change in policy that started in 2018 which aims to limit the distribution of straws, it said.

Other major food companies have also been ramping up efforts to reduce waste.

Nestlé Philippines earlier said it would replace plastic straws for its ready-to-drink products with paper straws.

• Nestlé Philippines shifts to paper straws for ready-to-drink products
• Philippines can unlock up to $1.1 billion from recycling plastic yearly: World Bank

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