Let's Get Fast Food Restaurants and Outlets to Provide Recycling Facilities for Consumers

Update May 29, 2010: I have contacted a number of fast food head offices in Australi.  KFC has informed me that they are about to rollout a reycling program in their stores, Subway stores will get a refit soon which will incorporate a recyle station but McDonalds and Hungry Jacks are yet to confirm when or whether they will commit to recycling so we need to keep applying the pressure by signing the petition! 

For many years Australians have been among the most enthusiastic recyclers in the world, however most fast food restaurants and outlets in Australia do not recycle or even offer customers the opportunity to recycle their waste. Furthermore, the majority of waste products from fast food meals including cups, bottles, aluminium cans, cardboard chip packets and paper wrappers, are fully recyclable but are being placed into landfill.

According to an academic study conducted in 2007 by the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland, waste generated by the packaging of fast food is 93% recoverable, in other words only 7% need go to landfill. The reality is that industry-wide only 29% is actually recovered with 71% of mostly recyclable packaging waste from the fast food industy going to landfill.

The research from this study indicated that it is possible to reach the achievable recovery potential in the exisiting solid waste infrastructure through new waste management practices, which are designed and operated according to waste producers's needs and demands. A consistent government approach is believed by the study to greatly assist in achieving lower waste, like in Taiwan.

In Taiwan, legislation was passed in 2004 that required its 600 fast-food restaurants, including McDonalds, Burger King (Hungry Jacks), and KFC, to maintain facilities for proper disposal of recyclables by customers. Diners are obliged to deposit their garbage in four separate containers for leftover food, recyclable paper, regular waste and liquids. Restaurants that don't comply face fines up to USD$8,700.

In August 2010, this petition will be forwarded to the head offices/CEOs of the most popular restaurants including McDonald's, Hungry Jacks, Burger King, Subway, KFC and Red Rooster etc. Copies of the petition will also be sent to the federal and state environment ministers to encourage the government to introduce legislative changes that encourage fast food franchises to adopt more environmentally friendly practices.

Most of the information in this petition was sourced from www.thegreenpages.com.au