Interstate Europe Hotels & Resorts has become the latest organisation to announce plans to remove plastic drinking straws from its UK portfolio of more than 70 hotels.

The leading third-party management company is rolling out the new policy to all of its operational UK properties, meaning all plastic drinking straws will be removed and replaced with a biodegradable option to minimise environmental impact.

Additionally, the new more eco-friendly straws will be available on request only in the hotels’ bars and restaurants, in order to cut back on usage and minimise waste.

The firm estimates by introducing the policy, it will stop more than 650,000 plastic straws from being disposed of annually.

Stephen Roach, Interstate Europe’s Vice President of Food & Beverage, said: “As a responsible business it made perfect sense to take action and do what we can to reduce the negative impact plastic is having on our environment and our oceans.

“We estimate that within our portfolio, our hotels get through approximately 12,500 straws a week, so by introducing these measures we’re confident we can help make a real difference and better support the ongoing work that’s taking place globally to protect the world we live in.”

Interstate Europe’s pledge follows similar commitments made by other high profile organisations recently, including Costa Coffee, Wagamama and Pret A Manger, as increasing calls are made by environmentalists to cut back on plastic items that often end up in the ocean or on landfill sites.

Stephen added: “We know that green initiatives and working to lessen the impact on our environment means a lot to both our owners and our guests, so we’re rolling this new policy out immediately.

“We’ll also be continuing to review other disposable plastic items we use, such as drink stirrers, and seeking greener alternatives wherever we can.”