ORLANDO, Fla. -- Following other companies and competitors, Disney said Thursday it will do away with plastic straws at all of its parks and operations by mid-2019.

• Disney is latest company to do away with plastic straws
• It says it will toss out more than 175 million straws annually
• Single-use straws, stirrers will also be removed in hotels, cruise ships

The company says it will eliminate single-use plastic straws and stirrers throughout its operations. According to Disney, this amounts "to a reduction of more than 175 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually."

The plastic reductions will also take place at Disney's hotels and cruise ships, Disney spokeswoman Stephanie C. Corzett said in a news release. She added that the company will reduce plastics by 80 percent in guest rooms.

"We will also reduce the number of plastic shopping bags in our owned and operated parks and on our cruise line, offering guests the option to purchase reusable bags at a nominal price," Corzett said.

The company also wants to eliminate polystyrene cups at its global operations, it said.

Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek called the move a new global effort to reduce "our environmental footprint."

In the past month, many companies have decided to do away with single-use plastic straws, from Melbourne's family–owned restaurant Mustard's Last Stand to McDonald's and SeaWorld. Some plan to replace the plastic straws with either wooden or paper ones.