Aldi gets rid of plastic straws on popular lunch box item

It’s a staple of school lunches, but this popular product is set to look very different as Aldi makes an Australia-first move.

Aldi has become the first supermarket in Australia to ditch plastic straws on a popular lunch box staple.

The supermarket is now in the process of rolling out nationally paper straws on its carton drinks, beginning with its Westcliff Tropical Fruit Drink in select NSW stores this month.

Aldi Australia’s buying director for drinks Dan Warner said the decision was a “no-brainer” for the supermarket.

“Juice boxes are a regular in kids’ lunch boxes and we are exceptionally proud to start offering poppers with less plastic at the same low price,” he said.

Aldi will introduce paper straws on all its carton drinks. Picture: Supplied

“Parents on a mission to reduce household waste and their environmental impact can now have peace of mind knowing the drink in their child’s lunch box contains less plastic, and they aren’t sacrificing convenience or worrying about any impact to their back pockets.”

The removal of plastic straws is part of Aldi’s commitment to reduce its use of plastic by 25 per cent by 2025.

Last year, Aldi became the first major supermarket to remove single-use plastic picnicware from shelves, a move it estimates has saved 322 tonnes of plastic from landfill.

It has also replaced the stem on cotton buds from plastic to paper.

Aldi said its paper straws have gone through “extensive quality assurance testing” and are designed to “puncture packets and maintain a strong shape without softening”.

Mr Warner said the change to straws has been achieved thanks to the co-operation of Aldi’s Australian supplier Tru Blue Beverages.

Lightweight plastic bags will be banned in NSW next year. Picture: Fred Dufour/AFP

“This action is an important step for Aldi and is made possible through the tireless work of our Australian-based business partners who also want to make a real difference in plastics reduction,” he said.

In July, Coles removed single-use plastic dinnerware items from its shelves, a decision that will divert 1.5 million kilograms worth of single-use plastic from landfill each year.

Last month Woolworths announced a similar move, saying it was “the right thing to do for the health of our oceans and waterways” as well as reducing plastic in landfill.

In NSW, lightweight plastic bags will be banned from June 1 next year, while straws, cutlery and cotton buds will be prohibited from November 1, 2022.

Originally published as Aldi gets rid of plastic straws on popular lunch box item