Big Mac turns waste into compost
Twelve McDonald’s restaurants are converting 40 tonnes of waste into compost to be used on local farms in Dorset instead of being sent to landfill sites.
The eco-trial follows a scheme in Sheffield to turn waste into energy, and is part of the company’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact.
If the scheme is rolled out across all 1,200 McDonald’s UK restaurants it will process 90,000 tonnes a year, enough to fill 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Environment manager Marie-Louise ter Beek said: "We are always looking for ways to move closer to our goal of sending zero waste to landfill, and the composting trial in Dorset is an important example of this.
"If the pilot is successful we would like to continue to compost waste in Dorset and extend the trial to other areas of the UK.
"We have recently tried a number of other successful initiatives to help reduce our environmental impact, including the energy-from-waste scheme in Sheffield restaurants that reduced our carbon impact from waste disposal by 54%.
"We are also raising awareness among our staff of the importance of preserving and protecting the environment. Energy management training saved the business 4% of energy in 2007."
Copyright © PA Business 2008
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