Transitioning to a circular economy means making changes across all industries. The food and beverage sector plays a big role in single-use plastics, but fortunately, more companies are getting on board with more eco-friendly, reusable options. The most recent announcement comes from McDonald’s which is partnering with TerraCycle’s reusable packaging brand, Loop, to offer reusable hot drink cups to customers that can be refilled over and over again.
McDonald’s is testing the new program in locations across the U.K. For a small paid deposit, customers can get their beverage in a durable, reusable cup which can then be returned and repurposed every time they patron a franchise.
The program is different from simply bringing your own reusable cup in the first place and more adaptable to COVID-19 safety regulations. By returning the reusable cup and getting a new one when you visit the restaurant, McDonald’s can then thoroughly clean the cups between uses to ensure pandemic protocols are upheld. This is how all Loop-affiliated companies, like Haagen-Dazs and Seventh Generation, operate. This system allows companies with large-scale production practices to still join in on the waste-free movement.
