Burger King removes plastic toys from children's meals

Burger King He will stop handing out plastic toys at children's meals and on Thursday he said he will launch a plan for customers to return any figures they have received, in a attempt to address the growing plastic waste problem.

The measure will save approximately 320 tons of plastic single use per year only in their restaurants in Britainsaid the fast food giant.

The executive director of Burger King United Kingdom, Alasdair MurdochHe said the plastic toys initiative is part of a broader strategy to reduce packaging.

Southampton sisters Ella and Caitlin McEwan’s through Change.org they asked Burger King and McDonald’s to stop giving plastic toys with their children's meals for the sake of the environment.

"We are focused on eliminating single-use plastics, and that is why we have taken this measure with toys”He explained.

McDonald’s announced Wednesday that some of its restaurants in Britain and Ireland would allow customers to exchange toys from their happy little boxes for a bag of fruits from next month and I planned to introduce books as an option in early 2020.

Plastic toys cannot be recycled

Helen Bird, from the Wrap sustainability campaign group, described the response of Burger King as a "bold move", welcoming collections in the store since plastic toys cannot be recycled with plastic containers at home.

Pentatonic, which manufactures consumer goods from recycled materials, is working with Burger King to recycle plastic toys collected in restaurant items such as trays and play areas.

Most of today's toys are made of three polymers: polypropylene, ABS and PET.

Pentatonic said no harmful gases would be released into the environment when these plastics melted.

The melted plastic forms a continuous strip and can then be cut into beads or granules that are used to make new plastic products, the firm said.

"If we had to use recycled polypropylene to make a tray, instead of new plastic, the total energy consumption would be reduced by approximately 88% and carbon emissions would be reduced by approximately 70%," said Pentatonic CEO , Johann Boedecker, to the BBC.

Instead, customers will have the option to exchange the toy for a fruit bag if they wish.

McDonald’s also plans a test early next year so parents can choose between a book or a toy.

“Gifts provide fun for many families and children. That is why we will carry out these tests, to give our customers a choice. They can also choose not to have a toy or a gift, ”said Paul Pomroy, chief executive of McDonald’s United Kingdom and Ireland.

But Burger King He said he wanted to take "significant actions" to address the issue of plastic waste.

The fast food restaurant chain will provide containers in its restaurants to collect old toys. He said the measure would save 320 tons of plastic per year.