Tim Hortons to eliminate plastic straws by early 2021

Tim Hortons is joining a growing list of restaurants moving to paper straws from plastic.

It says the transition by early 2021 eliminating 300-million plastic straws.

The company has already done away with plastic stir sticks, and is testing compostable cutlery.

“We take seriously our responsibility to help contribute to a cleaner Canada and we know our guests are eager to support us on our mission to reduce waste, encourage the use of reusable cups and dishes when it is safe to do so, and recycle and use recyclable materials,” said Hope Bagozzi, Chief Marketing Officer.

Almost 90 Tim Hortons restaurants in and near Vancouver have already eliminated the use of plastic straws.

In addition to phasing out plastic straws, Tim Hortons launched a new straw-less lid for iced cold beverages last year, which was estimated to remove 90 million plastic straws out of circulation annually. Meanwhile, the latest hot beverage lid introduced last year is made from polypropylene, a material that is 100 per cent recyclable and accepted in 95 per cent of curbside recycling programs across Canada. The lid continues to be rolled out to restaurants across the country.