Alamo Drafthouse to stop using plastic drinking straws

AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) - Austin-based movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse says it will get rid of plastic drinking straws from all company-owned theaters by the end of the month.

This includes theaters in Austin; Kansas City, Missouri; New York; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Antonio and San Francisco.

Some cities have banned plastic straws because they are often not recycled and wind up as trash in landfills and oceans. Starbucks and American Airlines have recently announced they will phase out plastic straws.

Alamo Drafthouse is the first nationwide theater chain to do so.The company says it plans on replacing plastic straws with corn-based, biodegradable straws.

"This makes sense," Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League said. "It's the right thing to do for the environment. And while the biodegradable straws are more expensive, they will still see savings."