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The Scotch Whisky Association and ScotRail have pledged to ban plastic straws in the latest victory for the Sunday Mail’s campaign.

We are calling for Scotland to become the first nation in Europe to ditch environmentally damaging plastic drinking straws.

And since our Last Straw campaign launch two weeks ago, dozens of companies and businesses have vowed to back the cause.

(Image: iStockphoto)

Up to a billion straws are thrown away in Scotland each year. They are used for minutes but take up to 500 years to decompose.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), who represent about 95 per cent of the industry, said they would ban plastic straws from their events and offices.

Chief executive Karen Betts said: “Congratulations to the Sunday Mail on its Last Straw campaign. This is a real call to action for all of us to do everything we can to phase out plastic straws, which are almost impossible to dispose of in an environmentally friendly way.

“The Scotch whisky industry takes sustainability very seriously. Through our environment strategy, the industry is taking action to reduce its impact on the environment, including to reduce

non-fossil fuel use, increase recycling and ensure efficient use of water.

“Our commitment to phasing out the use of all plastic straws and stirrers from all our offices, industry and events is yet another signal of our commitment to the environment.”

One of the SWA’s members, Diageo, announced this month that they are phasing out plastic straws and stirrers.

(Image: Sunday Mail)

Betts added: “It is encouraging to see Scotch whisky producers taking steps to phase out unnecessary plastics.

“We hope that this SWA commitment will lead to the industry uniting behind biodegradable alternatives so that Scotch whisky cocktails can continue to be enjoyed without discarded plastics continuing to have a damaging impact on land as well as at sea.”

ScotRail pledged to remove plastic straws from their buffet services.

A spokesman said: “This is an important campaign and ScotRail are happy to support it.

“While we offer just one product that comes with a straw attached, we aim to be entirely straw-free in the near future.”

Other transport firms banning plastic straws are ferry operators NorthLink and CalMac.

CalMac said on Thursday that they are banning plastic straws as part of their plan to reduce waste.

NorthLink revealed on Monday that they are replacing plastic straws with paper ones.

(Image: Collect Unknown)

Pizza Express said their 460 branches in the UK will switch to biodegradable alternatives by the summer.

Last week, we revealed how coffee chains such as Starbucks had made a definite commitment to ditch plastic straws and fast food giants such as McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC were considering switching. Just as importantly, smaller businesses are also making the change.

Restaurateur Cara Nikolic was using more than 175,000 straws a year across her four premises in Helensburgh, Argyll, when she decided to take action.

Customers will no longer automatically receive a straw in their drink at the Cattle and Creel steakhouse, La Barca Tapas, Padrone Pizza or the Logie Baird.

Cara, 46, said: “I wanted to do something after reading in the Sunday Mail about the billion or more straws used in Scotland each year.

“They are used for minutes and are here for centuries – and pollute our seas, damage marine life and our environment.

“I’d noticed some customers asking for no straw or taking the straw out and I thought, ‘Why are we automatically putting straws in every drink?’

“I just called all four places and said we stop using straws from today.

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

“The response from customers on social media has been fantastic, with dozens of positive comments.

“We were using an average of 3300 straws a week, or 175,000 a year, across the four places. I was shocked by the figures.

“Part of the problem is that straws are so cheap, with 250 straws costing about 70p.

“We’ve now switched to biodegradable paper straws and biodegradable plastic straws, which are green in colour.

“They’re double the price of our old straws but that’s fine as we’ll still only use them if necessary for certain cocktails or if customers request them. Stopping plastic straws was a no-brainer and I hope it becomes the norm across the hospitality and catering industry.”

Cara added: “I have even heard people calling for a 5p charge on straws like they do with plastic bags.

“We spent just £9 a week on straws but the plastic waste we were creating was huge. A switch makes sense however you look at it. You just have to walk along the beach to see what it is doing to our beautiful shoreline.

“It’s good to think we’ve done something with our customers to be part of the

solution instead of the problem.”

(Image: SUNDAY MAIL)

Plastic straws are one of the top 10 items found in beach clean-ups across the globe and cause serious damage to wildlife and the environment.

A video of a sea turtle bleeding and in pain in Costa Rica as scientists removed one from its nostril went viral in 2015 and raised awareness.

Paper alternatives are far more biodegradable and less harmful to wildlife.

Biodegradable straws can be bought online at about £2.50 for 250.

Up to a billion plastic straws are used daily across the world.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has praised our campaign, says her government are committed to tackling the threat plastic straws pose to the environment.

Our campaign is also backed by environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Marine Conservation Society Scotland.

Any organisations or businesses ditching plastic straws can contact us at: thelaststraw@sundaymail.co.uk