In its intention to become more environmentally responsible in Ukraine, the McDonald's fast food chain has decided to reduce the use of plastic by abandoning plastic cutlery and partially abandoning plastic cup lids.

This was reported by the company's press service.

"Taking care of the environment, which is one of the company's key priorities, McDonald's in Ukraine is reducing the use of plastic and other materials in favor of more environmentally friendly solutions and implementing initiatives for the responsible use of resources," the statement said.

In March 2024, McDonald's Ukraine launched several environmental initiatives. In particular, the company is refusing to use plastic cutlery and is gradually replacing it with wood.

"We chose birch as an eco-friendly raw material, which is a durable, natural, renewable material that does not have a pronounced wood flavor, which is very important for preserving the original taste of food," McDonald's said, adding that this initiative will reduce the use of plastic by 40 tons annually.

In addition, starting in March 2024, McDonald's in Ukraine will partially eliminate the use of plastic cup lids to reduce plastic use by another 8.5 tons per year. After a successful test period in Lviv restaurants, the initiative is now being rolled out to all Ukrainian McDonald's. All beverages in glasses sold for consumption inside McDonald's, except for tea and hot drinks as part of Happy Meal, are served without lids.

"At the same time, the company realizes that there are situations when lids are really necessary, so all courier and takeaway orders are still served in closed glasses. If necessary, customers can always ask for a lid from the restaurant staff," the press service said.

In addition, the company decided to stop using rubber gloves in the production area, which were introduced at the request of the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the quarantine requirements have been lifted, the company can reduce the use of rubber by 70 tons annually.

McDonald's also plans to stop using paper tray liners. By eliminating these paper liners, the company will save 100 tons of paper per year. The pilot project at McDonald's restaurants in Vinnytsia has already received positive feedback from restaurant customers, and similar initiatives will be scaled up across the country.