McDonald’s unrecyclable recycling initiative

McDonald’s unrecyclable recycling initiative

An unexpected news story appeared today in the UK’s Mirror surprising everyone, especially owners and operators of F&B outlets. McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant chain by revenue, serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries across 37,855 outlets as of 2018 announced that its decision to replace plastic straws with paper ones has run into a major obstacle. According to the story, ‘McDonald’s new ‘eco-friendly’ paper straws cannot be recycled and must be binned and burned instead. The plastic straws were withdrawn from all UK branches as part of a green drive, even though the fast-food giant has said they were “100 percent recyclable”.

An internal memo by the company highlighted the fact that ‘the paper versions, hated by customers, must be binned and burned. What is worse, is that rumors circulating point to the fact that the old plastic straws previously used, as opposed to the paper ones, can actually be recycled and therefore make for a more eco-friendly option. The problem, experts believe, relates to the thickness of the new paper straws, which makes it harder for the fast-food chain’s waste solution providers to process. Furthermore, based on some customers’ accounts, the new paper straws ‘make milkshakes hard to drink and dissolve in cola’.

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Despite the fact that McDonald’s pulled its plastic straws in September and vowed to use paper ones in all its 1,361 branches across the UK and Ireland, the internal memo acknowledges that, “Paper straws are not yet recyclable and should be disposed of in general waste until further notice.”

mcdonalds.com

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Rita Ghantous

Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector. Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC). She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book. She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter. Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler. It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.

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