McDonald's Coffee Reusable Coffee Cup Program loop Recycling to solve plastic pollution problem

World first: McDonald's UK pilot Reusable Coffee Cup Scheme

In September last year, McDonald's, the world's largest restaurant chain, announced that it would pilot a reusable packaging program in the UK to fulfill its promise. The fast food giant partnered with zero waste delivery platform Loop to launch a pilot scheme for recyclable coffee cups to cover its six outlets in the UK.

The first zero waste packaging solution

The new plan is part of a partnership with Loop, a recycling packaging solutions company founded by Franco-American waste management company Terracycle in May 2019. The reusable coffee cup plan will charge a deposit of 1 pound (about $1.35).

As a reward for buying hot drinks in recyclable cups, customers will receive a discount of 20p (about $0.27) at the time of purchase. After the cup is used up, customers are free to rent the cup and put it in the specific Loop brand collection boxes of the six participating restaurants. The cup will then be cleaned and sterilized for re-use.

Substitute material

Round design brand Circular&Co made the cups out of previous disposable coffee cups.

They also include engineered polypropylene (PP) plastics to improve durability and make them easier to clean for reuse. However, the amount of plastic has been reduced by adding recycled paper cup material to the outer insulation.

When reusable cups reach the end of their life cycle, they are recycled and the material is used to develop the next batch of reusable cups.

Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, said, "this groundbreaking partnership with McDonald's enables Loop to greatly expand its reach by bringing convenient and reusable packaging options to the catering industry. The partnership paves the way for reusable food to become a convenient choice for consumers to enjoy good food on the road. "

Solve plastic pollution

McDonald's also scrapped plastic Happy Meal toys, plastic straws, McFlurry lids and salad boxes and switched to "more sustainable options". By doing so, the fast-food giant claims to save more than 4000 tons of plastic a year.

In addition, nearly 90% of its packaging comes from recyclable or renewable resources, and the goal is to convert all plastic packaging into fully recyclable or compostable packaging.

McDonald's rival Burger King has also teamed up with Loop to expand its reusable testing programs for products such as Whopper and beverages to cities such as Paris and London.