Burger King UK withdraws plastic toys from children's meals

Amid pressure to reduce plastic waste, Burger King will no longer give away plastic toys with children's meals across the UK. The fast food restaurant chain is further encouraging customers to bring in old promotional plastic toys, which it plans to melt to make other items.

The development comes after two Hampshire children petitioned the fast food giant and its rival McDonald's to stop giving away free plastic toys.

McDonald's UK said that it has no plans to scrap its toy giveaways. However, it will give customers the option of swapping the toy for a sachet of fruit if they wish.

Paul Pomroy, Chief Executive of McDonald's UK and Ireland, said, “The gifts provide fun for many families and children. That's why we'll be running these trials, in order to give our customers a choice. They also can choose not to have a toy or gift at all.”

Unlike McDonald's, Burger King is undertaking "significant action" to address the issue of plastic waste. The brand will offer bins in its restaurants to collect old toys.

Pentatonic, which makes consumer goods from recycled materials, is now working with Burger King for recycling collected plastic toys into restaurant items like trays and play areas.

Johann Boedecker, Chief Executive of Pentatonic, stated, “If we were to use recycled polypropylene to make a tray, instead of new plastic, total energy consumption would be reduced by approximately 88% and carbon emissions would be cut by approximately 70%.”

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