McDonald’s Is Phasing Out Plastic Toys in Happy Meals

I have two kids who are in the prime of their Happy Meal lives, so when I heard this, my ears perked up a bit!

McDonald’s has announced that they’re phasing out plastic toys in Happy Meals. They’re not ditching the toys themselves . . . just the plastic, which they say will be “drastically” cut by 2025.

That goal will reduce unrecycled “virgin” plastic use by 90% . . . and that’s significant, because McDonald’s sells more than 1 billion toys each year. They’re also planning to recycle old plastic toys to make new restaurant trays.

As for the future, McDonald’s is working with toy companies to develop things like three-dimensional cardboard superheroes, or board games with plant-based pieces. The new toys will begin rolling out in January.

That’s all well and good! I’m all for doing things to save the environment from plastics! I just have to figure out how to react when my kids are disapointed in their Happy Meal toys. Probably something to the effect of, “Hey kids…suck it up. Better get used to disappointment!”