McDonald’s is testing a new strawless lid in the hopes to eliminate the use of small plastics as part of its ongoing global commitment to reduce waste.
The lids come with a pullback tab that keeps the top closed for transport. When that tab is pulled, it exposes a half-moon opening for easily drinking the beverage.
“Our ambition is to drastically reduce plastics in Happy Meal toys and transition to more sustainable materials by the end of 2025,” the company said. “Since 2018, we have reduced virgin fossil fuel-based plastic in Happy Meal toys by 24.4% globally, and we continue to work on sourcing materials used in Happy Meal toys from renewable, recycled or certified sources.”
The company has been testing different ways to reduce the use of single-use plastics and plastic straws over the past several years. In the 2018, the franchise switched from plastic straws to paper straws in the U.K., however received criticism because they don’t work as well as the previous versions and because the paper straws are not recyclable.
According to the McDonald’s website, as of 2021, approximately 82.7% of its primary packaging materials come from recycled or certified sources. It is aiming for 100% recycled or renewable materials by the end of 2025.
