McDonald’s recycling a world first for NZ

McDonald’s goal to serve fast food in recycled or other environmentally friendly materials worldwide by 2025 will be reached here much earlier, pleasing New Zealand’s environmental advocates.

The company said all of its ‘‘guest packaging’’ in New Zealand, meaning packaging received by customers when they receive their order, will be recyclable or made from renewable sources by the end of first quarter of this year.

The Packaging Forum spokeswoman Lyn Mayes said it was exceptional that companies as large as McDonald’s were moving against single-use plastic.

But it was not a complete solution. There needed to be more investment in building recycling bins here to ensure consumers could dispose of McDonald’s packaging, she said.

McDonald’s New Zealand managing director, David Howse, said the company was ‘‘in ongoing conversations with waste management providers and other experts looking at the infrastructure developments required’’.

Mayes said McDonald’s was not a member of the forum, but she would like it to be.

Half of McDonald’s packaging used at its 37,000 restaurants now comes from recycled or other environmentally friendly sources.

About 10 per cent of its restaurants recycle customer waste. McDonald’s has also committed to have all of its chains recycling by 2025.

McDonald’s move was an example of companies responding to consumer demand for sustainable packaging options, said the co-founder of New Zealand-based compostable packaging maker Ecoware, James Calver.

However, recyclable material was not the perfect answer as it still used plastic, he said.

Compostable food and beverage packaging could be disposed of with organic food waste and would break down within 90 days, removing plastic completely.

Calver said it was only a matter of time before large companies began using compostable packaging.