Disney says 'so long' to plastic straws in its parks

Walt Disney World is joining Starbucks, American Airlines, Marriott, the cities of Seattle and San Francisco and other well-known places by announcing a ban on plastic straws.

The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday that all of its parks around the world will eliminate single-use plastic straws in the interest of protecting the environment.

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The company said all plastic straws and stirrers will be gone by mid-2019, a reduction of more than 175 million straws each year.

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Disney will also cut back on the number of plastic shopping bags in its parks, the company said, as well as transition to refillable in-room amenities in its hotels and cruise ships.

Read: Here's why people are ditching their plastic straws

Here in Orlando, Disney’s Animal Kingdom banned plastic straws and cup lids from the time it opened in 1998.

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Disney’s announcement is the latest to come from several major organizations and cities over the past several weeks, pledging to eliminate plastic straws and stirrers within the next few years.

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