'Eco-friendly' Shropshire McDonald's criticised as magnet for litter
A McDonald's branch in North Shropshire which was built from the ground up to be eco-friendly has become a magnet for litter, a campaigner has said.
The fast-food restaurant in Market Drayton opened late last year and was designed to be the 'net zero-emission' template for others across the country.
But despite it having a drive-thru made from recycled tyres, two wind turbines and solar panels, the restaurant has been seeing problems with people littering.
It comes during the Great British Spring Clean – an annual campaign by Keep Britain Tidy, where people pledge to pick up as much litter as possible between March 25 and April 10.
Elliott Powell, a Market Drayton-based campaigner, has been speaking to the community in Market Drayton about their concerns and believes more should be done to tackle the issue.
He said: "The residents of Market Drayton have growing concerns about the litter that is being dumped daily by the customers who are eating at the new McDonald's.
"Litter in the area has increased and people are getting rather upset and annoyed that the area is being used as a dumping site.
"The packaging is clearly from McDonald's and can be seen on morning dog walks and on the way to work on the side of the road.
"This was the growing concern when the planning application was submitted last year.
"I have contacted McDonald’s about the litter who have said they will increase litter patrols within the area and will pass feedback onto the team.
"This obviously isn’t good enough and we feel more bins should be allocated for the area and more respect needed for the community."
A spokesperson for McDonald's said: “We take our responsibility around litter very seriously, so it is deeply disappointing whenever we hear about a minority of our customers disposing of their rubbish so irresponsibly by littering.
"Our McDonald’s restaurant team in Market Drayton carry out daily litter patrols collecting all litter not just McDonald’s branded packaging.
"And a dedicated member of our team also walks from the restaurant to the town litter picking four days a week.
"In addition we have held two larger litter picking events in Market Drayton since we have opened, working with local community groups and elected representatives to do our bit to help tidy areas of our community."
On average, McDonald's crew collect 27 tonnes of litter every year, covering a total of 5,000 miles each week.
Last year they worked with Defra on their ‘Keep It, Bin It’ campaign which calls on people to put their rubbish in a bin, and if there isn’t one nearby take it home with them.
"Outside of our restaurant in Market Drayton we have provided customers with seven litter bins to dispose of any litter responsibly," the spokesperson added.
"We would encourage customers to inform our crew members of any litter hot spots and we will look to include it in our litter patrols wherever possible.”
