Burger King UK Is Officially Ridding Its Restaurants Of Plastic Lids

As hot-button topics like climate change, sustainability, and all sorts of other ecological buzzwords flood the common vocabulary, it's no surprise that the world of fast food would be willing to jump aboard whatever environmental cause that's out there to show that, yes, this big restaurant chain does care about Mother Earth. It's not like fast-food companies have a spotless history of being sustainable, considering Dunkin' Donuts was under fire for wasting enormous amounts of food each workday according to an employee (via Newsweek). A little bit of "going green" wouldn't hurt to clean up some chain's images, right?

According to PlasticsToday, McDonald's has been testing cups made not from plastic, but a combination of "of 50% post-consumer recycle (PCR) content and 50% biopolymer resins." In August 2022, Pizza Hut teamed up with the Dairy Farmers of America as part of a massive sustainability project that will not only supposedly reduce greenhouse gas emissions but source more cheese from farms in the Dairy Farmers of America program (via Restaurant Business Online). As more and more corporations try to find new ways to showcase just how "green" they are, it seems that common plastics and other non-biodegradable elements will soon be a thing of the past.

Burger King's United Kingdom branch has taken the idea of removing plastics in the industry a step further, having recently announced that all plastic lids used for cups will no longer be found within its restaurants.

"It's not the end of the world, but it might be if we don't." This dramatic message comes courtesy of Burger King U.K.'s Twitter, announcing the end of single-use plastic lids in all Burger King restaurants. As Metro elaborates, Burger King has an elaborate plan to remove plastic waste from its stores by 2025. According to Burger King's estimate, over 17 million lids will be removed from restaurants, thus eliminating 30,000 kg of plastic per year. While lids will still be available on takeout orders and on hot drinks, you're no longer getting a lid on your soft drink when you're dining inside. This means customers better be more careful carrying soda to their tables.

This isn't the first time Burger King's United Kingdom branch has dramatically shown its commitment to removing plastics from its restaurants. In 2019, the UK chain announced its "Meltdown" plan, which was the codename for the removal of all plastic toys from its kiddie meals. It's not that they were just being removed — The Drum reported that these plastic toys would actually be melted down, including ones donated to the company as part of the promotion. Not to worry, though: As World Brand Design tells us, some toys will be melted down and assembled into brand-new toys for children to play with, starting the cycle all over again. Destruction is a form of creation after all.