A British mum has started a petition to put an end to plastic toys in fast food meals due to their devastating impact on the environment.
British mum of two, Rachael Wood, has started a petition calling for fast food chains to stop including plastic toys in children’s meals.Inspired by her daughters, Ella, 9 and Caitlin, 7, who have been learning about the environmental impact of plastic at school, Rachael’s petition is already attracting significant attention from other parents wanting to make a difference.
The Pressure Is On
The petition has already received over 300,000 signatures, with Rachael and her daughters calling for fast food giants McDonalds and Burger King to make a change.
“It made us very sad to see how plastic harms wildlife and pollutes the ocean and we want to change this,” the petition says. “We want (these fast food chains) to think of the environment and stop giving plastic toys with their kids meals.”
The petition highlights that the plastic used to produce these meal deal toys is not recyclable, contributing to plastic pollution and unnecessary plastic waste.
“We want anything they give to us to be sustainable so we can protect the planet for us and for future generations,” the girls said.
Immediate Action
Despite ongoing pressure to increase the sustainability of toys included with children’s meals, neither McDonald’s or Burger King in the UK appear to have taken any immediate action on the issue.
There have also been calls for fast food chains worldwide to ban plastic straws from their drink options and offer incentives for customers who bring their own coffee cups.
For Rachael and her girls, however, it’s a case of too little too late. “It’s not enough to make recyclable plastic toys,” they said. “Big, rich companies shouldn’t be making toys out of plastic at all.”
What changes would you like to see fast food chains make to be more environmentally friendly? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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