McDonald's have been secretly testing strawless lids in some US cities as they continue their charge towards being more environmentally friendly.
In 2018, McDonald's made a pledge to recycle packaging in 100% of its restaurants by the end of 2025. In the same year, paper straws were introduced in UK restaurants but it turned out that they were not recyclable.
Now they are trialling a lid that is similar to coffee cup lids served at Starbucks, where the plastic lids have a pullback tab to prevent spillages.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said in a statement: "These lids help optimize our packaging and eliminate the use of small plastics, just one example of the many solutions we’re reviewing as part of our ongoing global commitment to reduce waste."
McDonald's did not release a list of cities in which the new lids are being rolled out but Restaurant Business Online first noticed the change in Minneapolis. The report also said that a straw can still be requested in those restaurants.
Fast food chains have been working hard to reduce waste and go greener. Plastic straws can increase ocean pollution and microplastics that can harm marine wildlife.
For example, the Golden Arches got rid of plastic Happy Meal toys in 2021 in a bid to reduce its environmental impact.
The business said that from 2021 Happy Meals will come with a soft toy, a book, or a paper-based toy instead.
The fast food giant hopes the effort will save more than 3,000 tonnes of plastic at its UK business, which would be its biggest single reduction to date.
It also runs a "toy amnesty" to let customers bring in unwanted plastic toys in its 1,350 sites across the UK. McDonald's will then melt the plastic down and make it into toys for its charity in the UK and Ireland.
Despite a McDonald's push to eradicate single plastics, one seller on eBay found a unique market for such items.
An odd piece of nostalgia that can go for big bucks are old McDonald's plastic straws - unopened in their original wrapping of course.
A "vintage" McDonald's straw from the 1980s is currently being flogged for £1,500 - astounding when you think about how they were previously given out for free.
The vintage drinking device is still intact in its paper wrapper with no rips and sports the restaurant's iconic retro golden arches.
According to the listing, it dates back to 1986 making this straw 37 years old. Over the paper packaging you can see the original fast-food chain branding in the burgundy font.
