KFC Taiwan stops serving plastic straws

台灣肯德基停止供應塑膠吸管

KFC has stopped serving plastic straws with drinks at all 150 eateries in Taiwan


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- In response to the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) planned ban on the use of single-use plastic drinking straws, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurants in Taiwan stopped serving straws with drinks on Tuesday (June 11).

In May, the EPA announced its "Restriction on the Use of single-use Plastic Straws" would go into effect on July 1 for government departments, schools, department stores, shopping malls, and fast food chains. On Tuesday, KFC announced in a press release that all 150 of its outlets in Taiwan would stop providing single-use plastic straws for its customers as part of its new "no straw" campaign.

Instead, customers can simply tear off the thin plastic lid and drink directly from the beverage container. The elderly, children, and the disabled can request a paper straw or purchase a reusable metal straw, which includes a cleaning brush for the price of NT$99 (US$3) if purchased separately, or for NT$79 if bought with a meal.

KFC said that the discontinuation of supplying plastic straws will reduce its plastic usage in Taiwan by a whopping 52 percent. The company said that this is the equivalent to the amount of plastic an average family uses over the course of 30 years.

In addition, McDonald's Taiwan implemented a similar ban on plastic straws at all of its Taiwan shops on Earth Day, April 22. It is expected that plastic straws will be completely eliminated from all McDonald's restaurants in Taiwan by the end of this month.


Metal straws that KFC is now selling. (Image from KFC Facebook page)