McDonald’s has announced that it is replacing all plastic cutlery, including the McFlurry spoon, with a new paper-based material in all its restaurants across the UK and Ireland.
The fast food giant says the new cutlery is made from resilient, renewable, FSC-certified pressed paper and is fully recyclable and compostable. It will be gradually introduced in restaurants in England and Wales, as McDonald’s phases out its existing plastic products first.
The cutlery will be rolled out in restaurants across England and Wales from today (9 November), following a successful switch from plastic to paper cutlery in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, McDonald’s says.
By shifting from plastic cutlery to paper-based, the fast food chain anticipates it will eliminate 858 metric tonnes of plastic annually across the UK.
McDonald’s says the renewable and compostable McFlurry spoon and cutlery is part of its commitment to reducing packaging and waste and finding suitable alternatives to single-use plastic.
We’re pleased to announce another step forward in eliminating single-use plastics.
This includes a goal to achieve net zero emissions across its entire UK and Ireland business and value chain by 2040, alongside a target to ensure all its customer packaging is made from renewable, recycled, or certified sources and is fully recyclable and compostable by 2024.
To achieve this, McDonald’s says it has introduced paper-based straws, new McFlurry cups without plastic lids and developed salad boxes made from card – saving 1858 metric tonnes of plastic to date.
Head of Sustainable and Ethical Sourcing at McDonald’s, Nina Prichard, said: “As a business, we’re committed to taking action on packaging and waste and increasing our use of sustainable materials.
“We’re pleased to announce another step forward in eliminating single-use plastics and it’s great to be switching our famous McFlurry spoons to this new paper-based material.”