McDonald’s is replacing plastic cutlery with wooden utensils in Australia
McDonald’s has announced a plan to remove plastic cutlery from all 900 of its restaurants in Australia by the end of the year.
The fast food giant plans on replacing the enormous sources of plastic pollution with biodegradable wooden cutlery.
The move comes on the heels of its pledge to remove plastic straws by the end of the year as well.
“By removing plastic straws and cutlery from McDonald’s restaurants, we will be removing more than 860 tonnes of plastic from our system,” McDonald’s Australia sustainability director Kylie Freeland said in a statement.
At the same time, the company has also replaced its salad bowls and sundae cups with fiber-based alternatives, along with removing plastic lids from the McFlurry.
Prior to the commitment in Australia, McDonald’s conducted a successful 3-month trial on wooden cutlery in nine stores in New Zealand last year.
The announcement was made at the National Plastics Summit, a one-day event focused on sustainability in Canberra, AU.
Over 200 leaders from industry, government, and the community came together to discuss a federal mandate for 100% of plastic packaging to be either reusable, compostable or recyclable by 2025.