A councilor in the Greater Manchester area in England is calling upon McDonald's and Starbucks to take responsibility for the litter problem in local waterways, reported the Manchester Evening News.
What's happening?
Jonathan Moore called out the two food chains specifically because of rampant packaging blowing into Salford Quays from nearby locations, noting that the McDonald's location was particularly noticeable in causing the problem.
"The litter problem generally increased significantly after McDonald's opened, and of course you can identify McDonald's because it's all branded," he said, per MEN.
The Salford Quays councilor explained that if a company helps cause the problem, they should also help fix it. He continued: "The more broader issue of the stuff that's still on the land that anybody could pick up, absolutely, they should be contributing to that, because unless they send a team of people out every day, covering quite a large area, which clearly they are not, then somebody else has to do it."
Why is this litter problem concerning?
A 2017 study found that 80% of marine trash is food and beverage packaging. Even in areas not near rivers or oceans, litter can blow into storm drains and enter waterways.
Plastic packaging is particularly dangerous to both land and marine life because it can be mistaken for food. If ingested, it can cause health problems or death for animals, as it doesn't break down in their stomachs.
McDonald's in other countries has made environmentally savvy swaps, and recent data has reflected a growing market for recyclable alternatives to single-use plastic. However, these efforts need to be scaled meaningfully, not just swapping one single-use plastic lid for a plastic cup as McDonald's has done in recent years.
Starbucks has also made forward progress with its sustainability, but the company still has plenty of room for improvement.
Beyond the environmental impact, research has found a negative connection between dilapidated urban areas and mental health. In areas with excess trash, abandoned buildings, and graffiti, for example, one study noted children under 17 were found to be more prone to anxiety and depression.
While studies haven't arrived at a definitive conclusion on whether clearing trash can improve community mental health, research has shown that an increase in green spaces in urban areas correlates with happier residents.
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The local council has a property team that cleans up trash by hand and by boat on a monthly basis, but the volume of litter requires a more hands-on approach than they can reasonably afford.
McDonald's released a statement in response to the littering problem, noting that restaurant staff do daily litter cleanups in neighborhoods surrounding their restaurants. However, it conceded that working with locals could help improve the impact of these efforts.
"We plan to work with the local Salford council to identify any litter hot spots surrounding the restaurant, which we will look to include in our litter patrols wherever possible," it said.
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