When McDonald’s Australia opened its first restaurant in Sydney in 1971, it began daily litter patrols – a practice that continues at all its restaurants today.
Recognised by the APC as the highest-performing quick service retailer since the award's inception in 2013, McDonald’s proactively works to develop new design and waste solutions.
Sustainability manager Brad McMullen said one of the company's 2020 sustainable sourcing commitments was to source 100 per cent of its fibre-based packaging from recycled or certified sustainable sources.
“At the start of 2016 we introduced new takeaway bags made entirely from recycled material,” he said.
“This initiative is expected to save 1300 metric tonnes of virgin fibre compared to the previous year – or more than 22,000 trees.”
In 2015, McDonald’s Australia updated its ‘Eco-filter’ packaging assessment software, which has been in use since 2010.
As a result, it has down-gauged its 12 oz. cup, saving 26.71 tonnes of fibre per year.
It uses 50-100 per cent recycled material for takeaway bags, and has transitioned from double-walled hot cups to a new, thinner outer wall design.
All McDonald’s Australia’s company-owned restaurants have cardboard recycling programs in place, recycling more than 2200 tonnes of cardboard in 2015.
Following a successful milk bottle recycling trial in 2014, McDonald’s is in the process of rolling out a co-mingled recycling program for back-of-house packaging.
In addition to HDPE milk bottles, this will collect aseptic containers and aluminium cans for recycling.
McDonald’s Australia also identified front-of-house waste as a focus for 2016. This will include a trial to collect leftover organic waste, paper and plastic from customers for recycling which will serve as a template for other company-owned restaurants.
In addition, McDonald’s was an active participant in the APC’s research project on the recyclability of polymer-coated packaging.
