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.

McDonald’s, the world’s biggest fast-food chain, an icon of consumption and disposable packaging, is battling to keep us locked into the take-make-waste cycle by derailing reuse laws.

As the cost of disposable packaging to our health and public finances mounts, advocates and governments seeking to rein in disposable packaging and create reusable, waste-free systems are meeting a juggernaut in McDonald’s. The corporation spent two years derailing an EU-wide legislation requiring restaurants to serve on-site diners with reusables and introducing reusable packaging in takeout. They led a massive PR and lobbying campaign based on misinformation fueled by their own biased, cherry-picked studies. 

Now there are signs that McDonald’s may deploy similar tactics in North America, threatening to derail local laws that would shift foodservice providers away from disposable packaging. Tell McDonald’s, enough is enough: don’t interfere with reusable packaging laws.

Petition:

Dear McDonald’s Leadership Team,

As the world’s largest fast-food chain, McDonald’s has a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead the transition from unsustainable single-use packaging toward reusable systems. In the U.S. alone, the food service sector generates nearly 1 trillion pieces (9 million tons) of disposable packaging annually, costing $24 billion annually and burdening taxpayers and ratepayers with waste management costs.

Your recent actions in the EU demonstrate a troubling track record in this respect: utilizing unsound methodologies and cherry-picked data to support your claims that single-use packaging is a more sustainable option than reusable packaging. The evidence is clear that well-designed reuse takeout systems such as those adopted by programs like RECUP and Vytal (Germany), CupClub (London) and MUUSE (Singapore and Canada) show that high-performing reuse systems are achievable and far outperform single-use packaging on lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and waste metrics and can offer significant cost savings. For onsite dining, there is ample evidence that reuse saves businesses money, prevents waste, and reduces the climate and water impacts of foodservice packaging.

We urge McDonald’s to comply with existing reuse ordinances in North America and work with jurisdictions in good faith to advance and implement reusable packaging systems and policies in North America and beyond. As the number one producer of single-use packaging in foodservice, McDonald’s role in this space is of great significance – the world is watching your next moves. 

Sincerely,
[Your name]