At a Glance

McDonald's has announced it's banning plastic straws from its U.K. restaurants. Paper straws will be available instead, and only on request.

McDonald’s has announced it'll be getting rid of its trademarkstraws at its U.K. restaurantsbeginning in May. The restaurant chain has become the latest major company to ban plastic straws in an effort to reduce pollution.

The company announced it will be instead and will be moving them behind the counter and only handing them out by request.

"Customers have told us that and that they want to have to ask for one, so we're acting on that,” McDonald’s chief executive Paul Pomroy told Sky News.

The restaurant’s plastic straws are fully recyclable, however, most customers tend to throw them in the trash.

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In the February 26, 2015, photo above, a McDonald's meal sits on a table in Lille, France. The major restaurant chain has announced it will be getting rid of its trademark single-stripe plastic straws at its U.K. restaurants and testing out paper straws in their place.

(PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Straws are one the top 10 items found during beach cleanups, with , according to BBC News.

Because they are plastic, they can take hundreds of years to decompose, which poses major problems for marine life.

At least by plastic, with them dying by eating it, being suffocated by it, or getting caught in it, according to Clean Water Action.

Even , and plastics are one of the most common contaminants of them all.

"The reduction in use of plastics is a hugely important issue for business, for the sector, and for society,” said Pomroy. "We've been on a journey over the past 10 years with recycling, from taking out foam and polystyrene to where we are now - with Big Mac 'clam' boxes that are made with recycled board.”

Currently, all of McDonald’s packing is recyclable, except for the drink lids, which the chain hopes to find a solution for within the next year.

Other brands in the U.K. have announced they’ll be getting rid of plastic straws, including the London City Airport, Marriott International, All Bar One and major supermarkets, reports BBC.