Single-use plastic will also be removed from McDonald’s salads from next week. All main meal and side salads will be served in 100% renewable and recyclable cardboard containers. Replacing the existing plastic bowl, shaker salad cups and lids will result in 102 metric tonnes of plastic being removed annually. These new containers are made from ‘carton board’, which contains 50% recycled content and 50% new.
In total, the new packaging across the McFlurry and salads range will reduce plastic waste by 485 metric tonnes annually. Globally McDonald’s has committed to source all packaging from renewable or recycled sources by 2025.
Beth Hart, supply chain director at McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said: “I am delighted that today’s news means we will be serving our much loved and new menu items in an even more sustainable way. Removing plastic lids from the McFlurry, and introducing new cardboard packaging for salads, will save nearly 500 metric tonnes of plastic a year. It’s the latest step in our sustainability journey.
“We are committed to listening to our customers and finding solutions with our suppliers that work for them, this is the latest example of that – but by no means the end. We continue to look for solutions for our cutlery and lids, for example, but this is great progress. For us, sustainability is about more than just packaging. We have to look at the whole journey – by 2030 we’re committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 36%.”
In 2018 the business announced that it would replace over 8 billion plastic straws used annually by customers in the UK with paper straws. The changes are part of the business’ ongoing commitment to move to more sustainable packaging.