McDonald’s removing straws and replacing some single-use plastics at 10 outlets

SINGAPORE — Fast-food chain McDonald’s is trialling a reduction in single-use plastic at 10 of its restaurants in September.

In a statement on Wednesday (Sept 4), McDonald’s said it would be removing straws and replacing various other items — plastic bags, cutlery, saucers and the McFlurry cup — with more sustainable alternatives.

According to a McDonald’s spokesperson, it will be switching the plastic packaging for their McFlurry cups and saucers to food-grade paper packaging, and replacing plastic cutlery and stirrers with food-grade wood material.

The spokesperson said no replacement straws would be offered for now, and that McDonald's would monitor consumer sentiment.

The participating restaurants are: V-Hotel, Potong Pasir, Choa Chu Kang Lot 1, Jurong Green CC, Raffles City, Bendemeer, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, Toa Payoh Central, Boat Quay and SpringLeaf Tower.

“During this period, we will monitor the sentiments of our valued customers closely and keep track of its feasibility in Singapore before making the decision to implement this change in all our restaurants islandwide,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the trial is part of “a multi-pronged approach to drive environmentally sustainable practices in our restaurants, including packaging, energy efficiency, waste management and green restaurant design”.