Fast Foods V Plastic

The world is producing 380 million tonnes of plastic every year and this is damaging our environment, importantly, our oceans. For this reason fast food corporations are removing plastics from their restaurants. 

McDonald’s and Burger king have started removing plastic toys from children’s meals. Burger King started doing this after two sisters started a petition which received 500,000 signatures. The fast food chain will remove an estimated waste of 320 tonnes of plastic, and the plastic saved will be used to create new play areas and restaurant items including new interactive trays. McDonald’s said that it will give customers the option of swapping their toys with fruit bags, and from this year onwards with books. 

They also started removing plastic straws in order to use renewable ones. In particular, Mcdonald’s uses 1.8 million straws a day and that is why they decided to use paper ones in some of their restaurants. Plastic products can take hundreds of years to decompose and that is why McDonald’s moved to paper straws indefinitely. Other items which will be replaced in the fast food chain are plastic bags, polystyrene foam cups and containers. These items will all be replaced by reusable or less damaging materials for the environment. 

This “mission” is not only supported by these two chains, but is also supported by other fast food companies which are contributing to saving the planet. For example, KFC has removed plastic straws and plastic bags (in Canada, France, Moldova, Romania, South Africa), Subway has removed plastic straws (Canada), and Starbucks has also removed plastic straws (global ban) etc.  

It goes to show that creating awareness can bring change. Even the Fast Food industry are listening! 

Giorgio Cervone