McDonald’s to speed shift away from plastic in Europe

BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (AFP): Fast food giant McDonald’s is speeding up its move to minimise the use of plastic in its restaurants in Europe, where legislation on single-use items is becoming increasingly restrictive.

The US burger behemoth announced on Thursday the introduction of new packaging in all its restaurants in Europe by the end of 2020 for the McFlurry, an ice cream dessert currently served in a disposable cup with a thick plastic lid.

The new packaging does away with the need for the lid, McDonald's says, estimating that the change will save more than 1,200 tonnes of plastic a year in Europe.

The European Union is implementing stronger legislation to try to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills, with a ban on around a dozen non-recyclable items including drinks straws set to come into force in 2021.

Other measures from McDonald's include replacing plastic lids on drinks with a fibre-based alternative in France, a key European market for the company, saving some 1,100 tonnes of plastic per year. "We have a goal to have all of our packaging from renewable resources by 2025, and also a goal to recycle in every single one of our 37,000 restaurants around the globe by 2025," the McDonald's vice president Keith Kenny said.