Working to Keep Neighborhoods Litter-free

McDonald’s and our franchisees want the same thing our communities want - a clean neighborhood for people to live and work. Our standard restaurant training includes a strong litter management component, with McDonald’s staff conducting frequent clean-ups of our restaurant grounds and the public spaces surrounding our restaurant parking lots. We also encourage our customers to help us by participating in anti-littering programs, and we include anti-littering messages on many of our packages around the world.

Leading the way toward cleaner streets in Australia

McDonald’s Australia has a nationwide Clean Streets program to keep restaurant grounds and nearby streets clear of litter. Crew members participate in Litter Patrols as a regular part of their work day. Messages on packaging, tray liners, trash bins and parking lot signage help remind consumers not to litter. McDonald’s Australia is also a founding partner of Clean Up Australia, the organization behind Clean Up Australia Day, and marked their 21st year of partnership in 2010.

Since the first Clean Up Sydney Harbour event in 1989, McDonald’s Australia’s support of Clean Up Australia has enabled this initiative to grow and flourish. Clean Up Australia Day is now the country’s biggest annual volunteer event. In 2010, 15,500 tons of waste were collected, with an estimated 588,000 volunteers across Australia taking part at 7,073 registered Clean Up sites. In addition, McDonald’s Australia tripled their in-store participation in Clean Up Australia Day over 2009, with more than 53 percent of freestanding restaurants registered as clean-up sites.

Major Brands Join Forces in Germany

In addition to litter patrols and anti-litter slogans on outside waste bins, McDonald’s Germany supports local and national awareness-raising campaigns. McDonald’s Germany joined the Clean Countryside Campaign in 2001, an initiative to raise environmental awareness and fight littering. McDonald’s Germany participates in the campaign's activities in cooperation with partners such as UNESCO and major players such as Coca-Cola and the Green-Dot-System. The program includes providing educational brochures and promotional materials as well as supporting national and local cleanup events.

McDonald’s Brazil does its part to be a good neighbor

Keeping restaurant surroundings litter-free is part of Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s developmental licensee in Latin America) good neighbor policy. In Brazil, commitment to maintaining a litter-free environment is part of restaurant crews' daily work schedule. They wear a specially designed uniform and use appropriate equipment to go on periodic litter-picking round-ups within two blocks of the restaurants where they work.

McDonald’s USA Supports Keep America Beautiful

McDonald’s USA continues to support Keep America Beautiful, and has been a member of the organization since the early 1990s. As part of this commitment, logos and messaging are included on consumer packaging encouraging consumers to avoid littering and put trash in its correct place.