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'Straws suck' | Texas movie theater chain announces new eco-friendly initiatives

"Straws suck. It's their job."

AUSTIN, Tx. -- "Straws suck. It's their job."

That's how Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas is responding after a nationwide push to reduce the usage of plastic straws. So, the cinema company on Tuesday announced a new initiative to cut back on its straw usage.

"500 million straws are used and discarded every day across the United States -- that’s 175 billion each year (according to Eco-Cycle)," Alamo Drafthouse wrote in a blog post. "We want to wayyyyy reduce or eliminate our contribution to that mess, so we’re announcing two initiatives."

First, straws will be available by request only. The straws will still be available, cinema goers will just have to ask their servers -- or request them on their order cards. Alamo Drafthouse said it has already begun implementing this plan in Denver and has seen a 75 percent reduction in straw usage.

Second, Alamo Drafthouse will be switching to an entirely corn-based biodegradable straw in half of its 35 locations. This straw is expected to be ready by the end of July.

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Austin's Stubb's pledges to go green, says they will stop using plastic straws

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McDonald's to test plastic-straw alternatives in U.S. later this year

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