McDonald’s Australia To Phase Out Plastic Cutlery In Favor Of Wooden Ones

By Mayukh Saha / Truth Theory

In its initiative to go greener, this fast food joint has decided to scrap the long time staple from its stores. McDonald’s Australia has recently declared that they will be replacing plastic cutlery with wooden ones all through their Australian restaurants. That means more than 900 McDonald’s across Australia will be reducing their plastic usage by the end of 2020.

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This announcement happened at the Plastics Summit in Canberra, Australia. Notably, McDonald’s started its plastic reducing plans back in 2018 when they first decided to ban plastic straws across the globe.

As of now, it is not confirmed if these changes are to be rolled out worldwide and if yes, when. With as much as 37,855 restaurants worldwide, McDonald’s might create a huge impact if they decide to go worldwide with this plan.

The aforementioned convention in Canberra also saw approximately 200 government officials, as well as eminent personalities from multiple industries and communities.

Kylie Freeland, the director of supply chain and sustainability at McDonald’s Australia commented that the restaurant chain is continuing its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. He also added that this move will lead to the removal of approximately 860 tonnes of plastic from their system.

Read: Mexico City Began The Decade By Banning Single-Use Plastic Bags

Prior to this announcement, McDonald’s Australia had conducted a 3-month trial of using wooden cutlery across 9 outlets in New Zealand in late 2019. Even before that, in an attempt to go for environment-friendly methods, McDonald’s has made changes in their serving styles. Withdrawing the plastic lids for McFlurry cups and using fiber-based alternative options for sundae cups and salad bowls are making their impact already.

Images: McDonald’s