McDonald's works to close the Loop on coffee cup waste
Consumers will able to request a reusable cup for a small deposit, which would then be redeemed when the cup is returned for cleaning and re-use
McDonald's is venturing into new green terrain for fast food firms with the launch a new reusable cup for hot beverages, as part of a scheme to be operated by circular packaging service Loop.
The partnership with recycling innovator Terracycle - which runs the new Loop service - will give customers the option of choosing a durable Loop-created cup for a small deposit, which can then be redeemed by returning the cup to McDonald's restaurants where it will be washed and reused through the Loop system.
The service, which aims to cut down on packaging waste, will be trialled in 2021 in several UK restaurants, the fast food giant said.
"We're on a journey to rethink how we package products to give customers options that reduce waste," said Jenny McColloch, the firm's vice president of global sustainability. "That's an innovation challenge, and it's one we think the Loop model has potential to help us solve."
The Loop initiative joins several other approaches McDonald's is trialling towards tackling waste created by its cups, which has seen the US behemoth install recycling units across its UK stores, alongside other schemes such as the Recup system in Germany, which also enables customers to ask for a reusable coffee cup before returning it to be cleaned and reused.
"We're excited to assess how new reusable packaging models could work within our system as we accelerate circular packaging solutions with our partners around the globe," McColloch added.
The McDonald's partnership is Loop's latest initiative in the UK, where it recently launched an online shopping platform with Tesco that enables consumers to order a wide range of everyday products in durable packaging that is then returned and reused rather than binned.
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