New McDonald's opens in Shropshire complete with recycled tyres and wind turbines
It has a drive-thru made from recycled tyres, cladding made from recycled keyboards, solar panels and two wind turbines – and the latest McDonald's restaurant is designed to be the 'net zero-emission' template for others across the country.
The new branch of the fast-food favourite opens today in Market Drayton – designed to meet the net zero emissions standard in both construction and everyday operation – an industry first.
The restaurant, the company's first net zero branch, is creating around 80 jobs, but it could also leave a lasting impression on the way McDonald's builds its restaurants in future.
The company said it had been designed so it could replicated across its new restaurants as it aims for a target of net zero emissions for all 1,400 of its restaurants and offices by 2030.
Matthew Winfield, the McDonald’s franchisee behind the new restaurant, said the building is "ground-breaking".
He said: “I’m incredibly proud to be opening the new McDonald’s in Market Drayton – which will be the first net zero carbon restaurant in the UK.
"It’s been a pleasure to watch such a dedicated team of experts really push the boundaries - working with innovative, sustainable materials to make this restaurant a reality.
"At McDonald’s, community is at the heart of everything we do and we’ve had the pleasure of working with Market Drayton Junior School to design our biodiversity garden.
"We’re also creating 80 new jobs for local people and we look forward to playing our part as a good neighbour. I can’t wait to welcome our new customers to this ground-breaking new restaurant."
Amongst the items that combine to make the restaurant net zero for emissions are two wind turbines and 92sqm of solar panels – producing 60,000 kWhs of power per year and reducing the amount of energy the restaurant draws from the grid.
It includes walls insulated with British sheep’s wool which might otherwise have gone to landfill and which replaces unsustainable man-made materials.
It also features a biodiversity garden and nature trail designed by schoolchildren from Market Drayton Junior School. The garden will collect rainwater from the car park and provide a habitat for frogs and other creatures.
The building cladding has been created from recycled IT equipment and white household goods like washing machines, while wall signs are made from used McDonald’s coffee beans.
The drive-thru lane has been made from recycled tyres, while kerb stones have been created from recycled plastic bottles.
Other innovations include wall art made from recycled polystyrene cups, fixed in place with potato starch from McDonald’s potatoes, EV charging points and furniture made from 100 per cent recyclable materials.
The firm says it is the next step in its commitment to ensure that by 2023 all furniture in new and refurbished restaurants will be made from recycled or certified materials and designed to be recycled or reused.
