In 2021, McDonalds said it planned to reduce plastics in its Happy Meal toys by the close of this year, saying that it was considering alternatives such as 3D cardboard toys or board games made with plant-based or recycled materials.

However, earlier this month, the company acknowledged that while this approach had been successful, there had been limitations to the plastic-alternative materials, and other materials were now being tested. Where plastics remain the best choice, McDonalds said it planned to explore which types of the material could be used and, where necessary, establish partnerships to make recycling them easier.

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The current list of materials used by McDonalds in the UK and Ireland includes two types of ISCC Plus-certified plastics: mass-balance plastic, where some of the plastic is made from bio-based materials such as used cooking oil, and Green PE, a bio-based polyethlyene partly made from sugar cane.

Since both of these plastics are recyclable, McDonalds has partnered with environmental education centre Wastebuster (Guildford, UK; www.wastebuster.co.uk) through the Recycle to Read programme. This initiative encourages families in the UK to recycle or re-home old or broken small hard plastic toys once theyre no longer being used.

Ben Fox, chief marketing officer of McDonalds UK & Ireland, said, The new approach were testing means that we can keep delivering that great experience through a range of toys made with different recyclable materials that children can enjoy playing with for longer.