McDonald's volunteers join forces to spruce up Thornliebank

Employees from the McDonald's restaurant in Thornliebank recently tackled litter on Orchard Park Avenue and the surrounding areas, after members of the public voted for their preferred clean-up spot.
The volunteers collected 13 bags of rubbishThe volunteers collected 13 bags of rubbish
The volunteers collected 13 bags of rubbish

Local franchisee Jim McLean and crew from the restaurant ran an online poll in partnership with mummy blogger and influencer Susan K Mann, who asked her followers to vote on the area of Thornliebank they thought needed sprucing up most.

This litter pick was just one of the seven clean up events that took place across the UK in partnership with local influencers over the weekend of October 6 and 7.

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McDonald’s volunteers partnered with influencers to help them identify which area residents want to see cleaned in Ripon, Reading, Paignton, Thornliebank, Birmingham and London.

The Thornliebank clean-up team walked for three hours and collected an impressive 13 bags of litter. Across the UK, McDonald’s volunteers taking part in this initiative collected a total of 78 bags of rubbish, making a real difference to their local communities.

These events were just some of a few McDonald’s clean-ups that have taken place across Scotland as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s anti-littering campaign, ‘Clean Up Scotland’.

The campaign continues to encourage local communities to act and work together to tackle litter in their local communities, and forms part of a 12-year partnership between McDonald’s and Keep Scotland Beautiful.

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In addition to larger scale litter events such as this, McDonald’s is committed to finding ways to reduce, reuse and recycle in its restaurants and across its whole business:

For over 35 years in the UK, McDonald’s staff have carried out at least three litter patrols every day in the areas around their restaurants, collecting all the litter they find regardless of its origin.

Following a successful trial earlier this year McDonald’s is now rolling out paper straws across its restaurants, with roll out set to be completed in the first half of next year.

This year, McDonald’s UK celebrates a decade of powering its delivery fleet with recycled biodiesel from cooking oil. Delivery lorries are 100 per cent powered by biodiesel – 40 per cent of which is taken from cooking oil sourced from McDonald’s UK restaurants.

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McDonald’s franchisee Jim McLean, said: “I was really proud to see everyone come together and help tidy up Orchard Park Avenue and the surrounding area.

“It’s a key priority of ours to ensure that the local area remains free of litter and an enjoyable place to live, work and visit.

“As a business we understand the important role that we play in making the area a cleaner place for everyone.

“In this case I was thrilled we were able to directly respond to the needs of our customers and pick up litter in an area that mattered to them.”

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Derek Robertson, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “McDonald’s is to be commended for the positive difference its staff make to Scotland’s environment.

“As an organisation it has been active in working with the local community to champion litter prevention activity for many years.

“At a time when litter levels are at their worst in a decade, the support from McDonald’s crew members and customers is invaluable in helping raise awareness of the litter that surrounds us and the fact that we can all take action to prevent it.”

McDonald’s is also making changes in-store, with over 1,000 of its UK restaurants having front-of-house recycling facilities in which all packaging, including paper cups, can be separated for them to be recycled.

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In addition to the annual Keep Scotland Beautiful litter events and daily patrols, many restaurants have also now begun to get involved in events such as painting walls and replanting trees and flowers that improve local community areas.