McDonald's UK Is Officially Ridding Itself Of Plastic Cutlery

Aug 13, 2023

The red and yellow-themed McDonald's will be attempting to go green(er) in the UK by doing away with the plastic aspects of its operations.

McDonald's forays into sustainability seem to have started in earnest in 2016 (per CNN Business) when they announced that their empire would be buying sustainable beef. Two years later, the brand renewed its efforts in the sphere which entailed revisiting the sourcing of its beef, packaging, recycling, their impact on the youth and families, and of course, their consumption and use of plastic, per New Food Magazine.

The chain is still embroiled in ongoing sustainability programs (and not only in the UK). According to the Mcdonald's website, the company is actively diminishing its impact on the environment. The fast food chain claims that 82.7% of its packaging is from certified recycled sources. In addition, Mcdonald's has future ambitions too. The company hopes to drive its recycled plastic use up to 100% by 2025. They are three years from the target date, and McDonald's (or at least its UK holdings) is raising the bar again.

The UK is the first country to enforce climate change with law, per the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. This Act positions England as a leader in this sphere, making it seem befitting that McDonald's outlets in the island country be the front runners in the brand's environmental initiatives.

With that said, McDonald's most recent effort in an attempt to go greener is a pledge to remove 850 tons of plastic from their yearly operations in the UK. The fast food chain will target its Mcflurries, straws, and plastic cutlery to accomplish its goal, per Lad Bible. In a promotional video, McDonald's states "We are canceling the Mcflurry," and Mirror reports that fans are outraged even though it's referring to only the McFlurry spoon. The outlet reports that while some are all for a greener move, others are distressed, calling it a "sensory nightmare."

In response to Mcdonald's Twitter announcement, one user made an astute observation, saying "Trying to reduce the use of plastic to help the environment by cutting down trees to use instead." Another tweet suggests the new initiative needs a bit of work. "I fully support getting rid of plastic but I had a McFlurry with the new paper spoon last week and the spoon folded in half after a few mouthfuls."