Burger King axed free toys after campaign from sisters aged 7 and 9 to stop plastic pollution
FAST food chain Burger King has axed toys from kids meals after two sisters started an online campaign.
The petition, started by Ella, 9, and Caitlin McEwan, 7, has amassed over half a million signatures and calls on the bosses of McDonald's and Burger King to ditch plastic and help save the environment.
The eco-conscious sisters, from Southampton, started their Change.org petition after learning in school about how plastic harms the environment.
Today, Burger King announced it is scrapping them from kids meals and customers who return plastic toys before September 30 can get free food.
The “” petition started by the sister had already attracted over 510,000 signatures.
“We like to go to eat at Burger King and McDonald’s, but children only play with the plastic toys they give us for a few minutes before they get thrown away and harm animals and pollute the sea,” the sisters wrote.
“We want anything they give to us to be sustainable so we can protect the planet for us and for future generations.”
Burger King said returned toys will be melted down and transformed into on-site play areas and restaurant items.
The fast food chain said that the move was part of a wider commitment to reduce its plastic usage, but admitted the McEwan sisters “spurred on” their decision.
McDonald’s today said it would not stop giving out plastic toys, but is testing swapping the for fruit bags or books in selected branches.
The company’s UK and Ireland chief executive Paul Pomroy said: "We recognise that some people may not want a plastic Happy Meal toy, but we also know that the gifts provide fun for many families and children.
"That's why we'll be running these trials, in order to give our customers a choice; they also can choose not to have a toy or gift at all.
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