As the world‘s largest fast food chain, McDonald‘s serves millions of customers every day across nearly 40,000 locations in over 100 countries. All those Big Macs, fries, McFlurrys and other favorites add up to a supersized amount of single-use packaging waste – an estimated 2.5 billion pounds per year. But how much of that mountain of cups, lids, wrappers and containers actually gets recycled? And what is McDonald‘s doing to make its signature red and yellow packages more sustainable?
Beyond the Happy Meal: The Issues with McDonald‘s Packaging
McDonald‘s packaging has come under scrutiny from environmentalists for years due to its heavy use of single-use plastics and low recycling rates. According to a report by shareholder advocacy group As You Sow, McDonald‘s ranked last out of the 50 largest fast food brands for its lack of packaging recycling and reuse efforts.
The company‘s iconic red and yellow bags, cups, boxes, clamshells and wrappers make extensive use of virgin plastics and petroleum-based materials. McDonald‘s annual report estimates that across its global supply chain, 18,400 metric tons of plastic straws, 70,400 metric tons of plastic lids, and 133,000 metric tons of plastic cups are used each year. The vast majority of this non-biodegradable plastic waste ends up in landfills, incinerators or as litter polluting the environment.
A 2021 audit of plastic pollution in 45 countries found McDonald‘s to be one of the top 5 corporate plastic polluters, with thousands of McDonald‘s-branded waste items collected from beaches, rivers, parks and neighborhoods worldwide. Plastic waste from McDonald‘s packaging has been found in some of the most remote areas of the planet, from the Arctic to the Mariana Trench.
Aside from the sheer volume of waste it produces, what makes McDonald‘s packaging so problematic to recycle? Several key challenges include:
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Food contamination: McDonald‘s packages are almost always soiled with grease, sauce and food residue when disposed of by customers. Any remaining food or liquid can spoil a batch of recycled plastic or paper. However, rinsing out disposable packaging before recycling is not practical or convenient for most fast food customers.
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Multi-material packaging: Many McDonald‘s items like paper cups, plastic lids, and paper-based clamshells are made from multiple materials fused together. For example, paper cups are lined with a thin plastic coating to prevent leaking, making them "paper on the outside, plastic on the inside." This multi-layer design makes them difficult to recycle because the paper and plastic can‘t be easily separated in most recycling facilities.
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Low-grade plastics: The plastics used in McDonald‘s straws, lids, cutlery, and other small items are typically low-density polyethylene (#4), polypropylene (#5), and polystyrene (#6). These plastics have minimal market value and are not accepted by most municipal recycling programs because they are not profitable to collect and process. Packaging made from plant-based plastics or bioplastics are also not compatible with most existing recycling systems.
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Small format items: McDonald‘s straws, stirrers, cutlery, and other "small format" plastics pose major problems for recycling systems. These lightweight pieces quite literally slip through the cracks during the sorting process and end up contaminating bales of other recyclable materials. Most recyclers advise keeping straws and utensils out of recycling bins for this reason.
According to a 2017 report commissioned by McDonald‘s UK, only 10% of its cups were estimated to be recycled and a mere 22% of its packaging overall was estimated to be recycled or recovered. The company acknowledged that these low recycling rates are far from acceptable. So what is the fast food giant doing to address its packaging waste problem?
McDonald‘s Sustainability Commitments: A Greener Golden Arches?
In recent years, McDonald‘s has announced a series of ambitious goals and initiatives to improve the sustainability of its packaging and reduce waste. Some key commitments include:
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100% renewable, recycled, or certified sources by 2025: McDonald‘s aims to have 100% of its guest packaging come from renewable, recycled or certified sources by 2025. Currently, 84% of McDonald‘s packaging is made from recycled or certified sources, up from 77% in 2020.
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100% recycling in restaurants by 2025: McDonald‘s has pledged to recycle customer packaging in all of its restaurants worldwide by 2025. However, it‘s unclear exactly how they plan to achieve this given the contamination and sorting challenges discussed above. Some efforts include standardizing packaging designs worldwide to simplify recycling systems and rolling out new recycling labels and bins to educate customers.
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Phasing out foam packaging: After pressure from environmental groups, McDonald‘s phased out all polystyrene (Styrofoam) cups and clamshells worldwide by the end of 2018. Foam is one of the least recyclable, most harmful forms of plastic packaging, as it readily breaks down into microplastic pollution.
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Reducing plastic in toys: McDonald‘s has committed to reducing plastic in the toys included with its iconic Happy Meals. In the UK and Ireland, the company has already transitioned to a mix of soft toys, paper-based toys and books. Globally, McDonald‘s claims Happy Meal toys will contain 90% less fossil fuel-based plastic by 2025.
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Designing more sustainable packaging: McDonald‘s is working to redesign its packaging to use fewer materials and incorporate recycled content. For example, it recently redesigned its McFlurry ice cream packaging to eliminate 585 metric tons of plastic per year. It has also made plastic lids strawless and lighter-weight, reducing plastic straw use by 30% since 2018.
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Testing reusables: McDonald‘s has partnered with the reuse platform Loop to pilot reusable cup programs in select UK restaurants. Customers can pay a small deposit for a durable cup, use it and return it to a collection point to be industrially cleaned and reused up to 400 times. The program has the potential to significantly reduce disposable cup waste if expanded.
Reimagining the Future of Fast Food Packaging
While McDonald‘s sustainability commitments represent progress, many environmental advocates argue the company needs to go further and faster to truly rein in its packaging waste footprint. Industry experts point to several areas where McDonald‘s and other fast food chains will need to innovate:
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Reuse at scale: Reusable cups and food containers are the most effective solution for cutting single-use packaging waste. However, they remain a logistical challenge to implement widely due to the need for collection, cleaning and redistribution infrastructure. Brands should look for ways to incentivize and normalize reuse habits, such as loyalty programs and discounts. A survey found that 50% of consumers are willing to pay more for reusable packaging, so the demand is there.
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Truly recyclable materials: Phasing out hard-to-recycle plastics like polystyrene is a start, but McDonald‘s and others need to go further to redesign packaging using 100% widely recyclable materials. This means moving away from multi-layer, multi-material designs to all-paper or all-plastic packaging that can be easily sorted and processed by recyclers. Brands should also use more post-consumer recycled content to create demand for recycled plastics and boost recycling rates.
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Composting infrastructure: As some chains explore fiber-based packaging and bioplastics as alternatives to conventional fossil fuel plastics, a major barrier is the lack of composting infrastructure to process these materials. Currently, items marked compostable are only compostable in industrial facilities, not in backyard bins. Fast food brands could help improve access to composting by partnering with haulers and municipalities.
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Shifting service models: Much fast food packaging waste is the result of defaulting to the disposable to-go model even when it‘s not needed. Chains could reduce waste by redesigning stores to offer more dine-in seating with washable cups, plates and cutlery. Some fast casual concepts like Panera now offer a dine-in menu with real dishware for customers eating onsite.
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Policy and EPR: Ultimately, solving the fast food waste crisis will require policy changes to hold major brands accountable and provide funding for recycling infrastructure. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws can require chains to fund and manage the recycling of their own packaging. Labeling standards are also needed to reduce consumer confusion over which fast food packages can be recycled.
What Consumers Can Do to Minimize Fast Food Waste
While pushing fast food companies to adopt more sustainable practices, individual consumers can also make a difference in reducing waste with their own purchasing choices. Some tips for eco-minded fast foodies:
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Bring your own: Pack a reusable cup, straw, utensil set, or food container when going out for fast food. Some chains like Starbucks even offer a discount for bringing your own tumbler. Avoid disposables whenever possible.
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Refuse the extras: Tell the cashier "No thanks" to the pile of napkins, ketchup packets, plastic cutlery and straws if you won‘t actually use them. Take only what you need.
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Separate for recycling: Before tossing fast food packages in the bin, separate any paper bags or cardboard boxes from the plastic lids, wrappers and cups. Also remove any food residue or liquid first. Only recycle the packaging types your hauler actually accepts.
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Dine in: If it‘s an option, consider eating your fast food meal in the restaurant using washable dishware instead of taking it to-go. You‘ll avoid the excess disposable bags, wrappers and containers.
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Choose less packaging: If you do need to order to-go, opt for menu items with minimal packaging like single-serve snacks, hand-held wraps or bakery items in a small paper bag. Skip the plastic trinkets and toys that will just become landfill fodder.
