A Big Change Is Coming To McDonald's McFlurry Cups

If you swing by a McDonald's when its ice cream machine is actually working, you may have the restaurant's iconic McFlurry in mind. But in just a short time, Mickey D's U.S. fans will see a different look for the treat. Starting September 10, McDonald's McFlurry is ditching the plastic dome lids in favor of more sustainable packaging. According to a press release, the McFlurry will now be served in an "environmentally friendly four-flap cup." This new packaging is "made of FSC-certified fibers that come from responsibly managed sources," McDonald's USA told Mashed.

On top of the packaging change, McDonald's will also be rolling out a new Mini McFlurry. This is great news if you just want a little treat rather than a full-sized dessert or if you're with that friend who "always wants 'just a bite,'" as McDonald's put it.

It's possible some folks who are resistant to change may not embrace this update (you may remember the great debate over paper versus plastic straws), but the new McFlurry packaging has already been introduced in some international markets. This move is part of the company's goal to source all of its guest packaging from sustainable materials by the end of 2025.

In October 2023, McDonald's announced a switch-up for the McFlurry's iconic spoons. If you've ever wondered about the real reason McFlurry spoons were shaped that way, it was because they were actually used in the McFlurry-making process. No, the square, hollow tube wasn't meant to be used as a straw — rather, it attached to the ice cream mixer and worked as a spindle. McDonald's decided to make a sustainable switch last year to wash-and-reuse spindles and serve the McFlurry with a smaller plastic spoon.

In 2006, hedgehogs were behind a McFlurry cup design change in the U.K. Many of them were climbing into discarded McFlurry cups after being drawn in by the smell, but the spiky little critters would get stuck. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society ran a campaign to convince McDonald's to make the holes in the McFlurry lid smaller so hedgehogs couldn't get inside. Then, in 2019, McDonald's U.K. switched to lidless cups with four flaps to cut back on plastic waste.

The new-to-the-U.S. four-flap cup is already available in places like Indonesia, Europe, and Canada. Not only is the chain making moves to help protect hedgehogs and reduce single-use plastics, but the lid switch in Canada was also good news for skunks, who kept showing up on social media with their heads stuck inside the containers. If the new cup is good for animals and the environment, it sounds like this switch is for the best.