Starbucks, citing environment, is ditching plastic straws

SEATTLE — Starbucks, citing the environment threat to oceans, will ban plastic straws from all of its stores globally in less than two years.

The company becomes the largest food and beverage company operating globally to do so.

Starbucks said Monday that it is making available a strawless lid at 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada for certain drinks.

Starbucks Coffee Co. estimates the switch will eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws a year.

The company's announcement comes a week after it's hometown, Seattle, banned single-use plastic straws and utensils at businesses that sell food or drinks in the city.

Starbucks said cold beverages in which a straw is typically included make up 50 percent of the drinks its sells, up from just 37 percent five years ago.