When people think of McDonald’s fast food restaurants environmentally conscious is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, fast food chains account for millions of tonnes of waste in addition to environmental impact of creating the massive amounts of beef needed to support their millions of customers.
Fast food is starting to feel the heat from environmentalists and world leaders to do their part to reduce their impact on the environment. Some prominent experts on climate change have even suggested that people stop eating meat and fast food altogether if they really want to make a positive impact. McDonald’s is trying to offset some of this bad press by launching a plan which they hope will turn waste into energy.
The London-based initiative aims to take food waste that would normally go into a landfill and turn it into energy that can power and heat homes in the United Kingdom. McDonald’s claims that the scheme is already have a large impact, as the twenty five participating London locations have reduced their carbon emissions during waste management by nearly half. The plan is now in its second phase after being launched two years ago in Sheffield.
Veolia Environmental Services is responsible for collecting the restaurant waste which it then takes to an energy recovery center in South East London. Converting food waste into energy will be a viable option for the energy future of the United Kingdom. The UK government is currently urging local councils to stop burning and sending waste to landfills and to start using conversion centers to turn rubbish into energy.
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