Fort Worth (US), Jul 11 (AP) American Airlines says it will stop using plastic straws and drink stirs and replace them with biodegradable alternatives.

American said yesterday that starting this month in its airport lounges it will serve drinks with straw and wood stir sticks and begin moving to what it called eco-friendly flatware.

American, the world's biggest airline, said that in November on board planes it will replace plastic stir sticks with ones made from bamboo. The airline said the moves will eliminate more than 71,000 pounds of plastic a year.

Alaska Airlines, the fifth-largest US carrier, said in May that it would phase out plastic straws and citrus picks starting this summer and replace them with "sustainable, marine-friendly alternatives."

Larger US airlines — Delta, United and Southwest — still use plastic straws, according to representatives of those carriers.

Some cities have banned plastic straws because they are often not recycled and wind up as trash in landfills and oceans.

Starbucks and other food companies have recently announced they will phase out plastic straws and polystyrene foam cups from its stores by 2020. (AP) KIS

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)