Burger King have decided that they will no longer be providing plastic toys with Junior meals, as a method to spread awareness and tackle the dilemma of plastic waste.
The fast food restaurant is following on a #Meltdown move which originated from two young girls aged 7 and 9 from Hampshire. The children created a petition to stop Burger King and McDonalds from distributing free plastic toys with meals. While Burger King instantly acted on raising awareness on plastic waste pollution, McDonalds revealed that they will not be putting a stop to producing Happy Meal Toys but, instead, will be giving customers the option of picking either a fruit or toy and eventually a better choice between a toy and book.
Layla who works for the JKR branding agency was at the South Bank Centre alongside photographers and videographers documenting the #Meltdown campaign today. She explained “Hopefully it’ll push other companies to get rid of their plastic through law.”
Burger King have also let their customers know that they intend to use the plastic toys in creating something a lot bigger. The recycled toys are now being used to create a giant statue which will be featuring one of the campaign characters ‘Beep Beep‘ melting, a statue which stands firmly on the ground of The South Bank Centre. Furthermore, the recycled and donated plastic toys will aid a transformation of new play areas, restaurants and interactive trays for thousands of children. However, to spread awareness, any members of the public from the 19th to 30th September will receive a free King Junior meal with the purchase of an adult meal if they hand in a plastic toy.
Ultimately the #Meltdown campaign has been trending on social media and has sparked a rise in voices of the public speaking out about the impact of plastic waste. Polish citizens Zakina and Justyne who were at the South Bank Centre announced “It is very good what they are doing because plastic can harm animals and nature and also is a dangerous material to be used as a toy for kids”.