McDonald’s Canada has launched an investigation into how dozens of large condiment bags have ended up littered across the Bay of Fundy shoreline over the last two years.
Local resident Karen Jenner, who has spent years collecting litter along the coast, reported finding 46 empty bags of Big Mac and McChicken sauce between Harbourville and Halls Harbour, Nova Scotia, over the past two years. The industrial-sized bags are typically used to refill sauce dispensers within the fast-food chain’s kitchens.
Jenner told CBC News that while she frequently finds international debris carried by ocean currents, the bilingual English and French labeling on the plastic indicates the waste likely originated from within the Maritime provinces.
“It’s very sporadic but so far I have found 46 of them,” Jenner told CBC News. “I think that’s enough to indicate that there’s a problem somewhere along the waste disposal line that McDonald’s is using.”
She added that it remained unclear whether the issue lies with a specific restaurant franchise or a third-party waste disposal firm.
The discovery has prompted questions regarding the company’s supply chain and environmental protocols.
Jenner said she had attempted to contact the corporation for two years with little success until a recent follow-up.
“They said the messages never went through to the right people,” she told CBC News. “I question that, but they are looking into it now, which I appreciate. It’s disappointing that it’s taken so long for that to happen though.”
In a statement to CBC News, McDonald’s Canada confirmed it was taking the reports seriously and looking into the matter to determine the source of the litter.
Jenner expressed hope that identifying the “broken link” in the disposal process would prevent further plastic waste from reaching the Bay of Fundy tide.
The Independent has contacted McDonald’s for comment.
