McDonald’s: Stop Hamburglaring Reuse!
With over 40,000 locations worldwide, McDonald’s isn’t just a fast-food giant—it’s a global engine of waste. Every year, the company generates 2.2 billion pounds of disposable packaging and toys, equivalent to the weight of over 100 Eiffel Towers. This packaging is used for minutes before being discarded, contributing to an environmental crisis. Studies show that McDonald’s packaging accounts for half of all fast-food litter, clogging our streets, parks, and waterways.
Beyond its role mass-producing fast food and packaging, McDonald’s is a political and cultural juggernaut that has worked to normalize disposable packaging and is now fighting to keep us locked into throwaway packaging forever. McDonald’s fought to derail EU-wide regulations by using dubious methods to underpin the idea that disposable packaging is more environmentally friendly than reusable alternatives.
McDonald’s follows a well-worn script: bankroll biased studies to justify waste, then deploy armies of lobbyists and PR spin doctors to bury the truth. Their goal? Lock us into a throwaway future that pads their profits, no matter the cost to the planet.
It’s time for Citizens to take back control. The good news is that 89 towns and cities across the US have already passed ordinances cutting down excessive takeout packaging and 44 require restaurants to serve customers with reusable foodware for on-site dining. We must defend and continue to build on these policies. Now, tell McDonald’s, hands off reusable packaging!
