McDonald's has just announced a major environmental initiative: The company is launching a pilot program to phase out polystyrene beverage cups (McD's long ago gave up Styrofoam for its food packaging, but hot beverages have still been served in polystyrene).
The move comes in response to a 2011 shareholder resolution [PDF] by As You Sow, which asked the company to re-evaluate the use of foam cups. The company recently informed us it is testing replacement of polystyrene with a double-walled paper hot cup at approximately 2,000 of its restaurants in the U.S., primarily on the West Coast -- that represents nearly 15 percent its U.S. restaurants.
The shareholder proposal received the support of nearly 30 percent of total company shares voted, a high result for an environmental issue proposal, and the highest vote to date for any As You Sow proposal on recycling.
The ongoing controversy about the environmental impacts of polystyrene led McDonald's to phase out foam-based clamshell food containers amid concerns that petroleum-based food packaging that persists in the environment for hundreds of years after use.
Over the next decade, McDonald's eliminated more than 300 million pounds of packaging and reduced restaurant waste by 30 percent, saving an estimated $6 million per year. It is now one of the largest purchasers of recycled paper, used in its food containers, bags, and napkins.
Polystyrene is controversial because the International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that styrene, used to make polystyrene, is a possible human carcinogen. In 2009, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment proposed that styrene be listed as a known human carcinogen.
Last June, styrene was listed as a possible carcinogen by the National Institutes of Health's National Toxicology Program. Several epidemiologic studies suggest an association between occupational styrene exposure and an increased risk of leukemia and lymphoma.
Polystyrene is not widely recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency's annual report on solid waste recycling lists polystyrene cup recycling as "negligible." Foam particles are among the most common items found by environmental groups leading beach cleanups. Foam cups and containers break into small pieces that are easily blown in all directions by the wind.
Carried through storm drains to the ocean, foam containers break down into small indigestible pellets which animals perceive as food, resulting in the death of birds and fish. Due to such concerns, more than 50 cities in California and 100 cities in the U.S. have banned or restricted the use of polystyrene food packaging.
The objective of the McDonald's pilot is to assess customer acceptance, operational impact, and overall performance of the paper cups. The hope is that the company will make the switch to paper cups permanent and expand it to all of its restaurants. Also, given its history of using high levels of recycled content in other food packaging, we hope that it begins to use recycled content in the paper cups and establishes a robust recycling program for both post-consumer waste left in its restaurants.
The concern for our
The concern for our environment here is nice to see. However, there is a lot more to this than polystyrene not being able to biodegrade. The manufacturing of paper is much more damaging to our environment then polystyrene is by a considerable amount. Both wax coated paper and polystyrene are difficult to recycle, however in my medium size town there are 10 places that you can drop off polystyrene for reuse in packaging. I realize that most people will just end up dumping this in the garbage. Modern landfills are designed not to let things biodegrade (so paper will always be paper in a landfill). This is a good thing, and is done so that the paper does not release methane gas, which is damaging to our ozone. In my city our garbage is incinerated. The polystyrene releases considerable more energy than paper, which we transform into heat and power.
I love my earth. Let’s be smart and save it!
Those cups aren't recyclable
Those cups aren't recyclable either. More disposable plastic coated cups in the litter stream. We don't need any more.
Offer reusable cups and cutlery, plates etc. Offer incentives to customers bringing their own cups.
Educate your customers about waste. Have competitions that generate interest and action about waste.
The size of your responsibility should match your profits and wealth of real estate. There are few coorporates better placed to meaningfully tackle this world's excessive waste and disposable culture.
Glad to hear McDonalds will
Glad to hear McDonalds will be exploring alternatives to polystyrene. One clarification: Last June, styrene was listed as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen by the National Institutes of Health's National Toxicology Program. It was previously listed as a suspected human carcinogen.
Polystyrene should be banned from use as food service ware. Kudos to Seattle for leading the way.
I work with a Young Activist Club in MD trying to get rid of disposable styrofoam lunch trays. They want a dishwasher for their school and have raised thousands of dollars for it. Unfortunately school administrators won't let the pilot go through. Nice to see corporations taking steps when our public sector won't.
Challenging Starbucks? Yes,
Challenging Starbucks? Yes, when the initial coffee quality push happened, McD made a good cup of coffee. For about a year. Since then, the locations around here have backslid and produce pretty poor coffee.
The replacement may not be
The replacement may not be better, and may be worse. Things have to be added to paper for a hot beverage cup, such as wax and thin plastic coatings. These make the paper not practical to recycle. And cutting more trees can cause more harm than alternatives. We have very little true sustainable forestry.
I agree with Andre, this
I agree with Andre, this seems to be an entirely US problem. In Germany there hasn't been polystyrene in any fast food restaurant for years. Why you would need a pilot program to test this is beyond me. Just switch. You're already making the paper packaging for your international operations anyway.
It is no technical problem.
It is no technical problem. Is this an US issue? If you go to Europe, especially to Germany or Switzerland, there are no polystyrene cups at all, nowhere. You just don't have them - it's all paper cups. Yes, even at Starbucks and McDonald's. So it seems to me more like a consumer acceptance issue, not a technical or financial problem. OR a consumer pressure issue.
.... and the mega-corp
.... and the mega-corp greenwash continues.
Good move. I remember back in
Good move. I remember back in the early 80s working as a McDs maintenance man and the amount of trash our one restaurant created. Just the volume of foam containers back then was fantastic. This subsequent step should be followed by others.
A move that is long overdue.
A move that is long overdue. These petroleum based polymer plastic paper wrapped polystyrene cups are not recyclable and are a scourge on the earth. Ozone-depleting CFCs are used as physical blowing agents during the manufacturing process while VOCs are also released. And we eat and drink from this stuff.