France bans disposable packaging and utensils in fast food restaurants

Fast food restaurants in France will soon be unable to use the disposable packaging and utensils in which customers eat, thanks to a ban imposed by the latest measure of the 2020 law to combat waste and promote recycling.

Restaurants have been preparing for months to implement a rule that will take effect on January 1, 2023, disrupting business models based on single-use packaging, plates, cups and crockery for many.

About 30,000 fast food six billion meals are served each year in France, generating 180,000 tons of waste. “It’s a symbolic decision that, if implemented correctly, will make a very tangible difference to people – it definitely goes in the right direction,” said Moira Turner of Zero Waste France.

But the law has drawn criticism from the European Paper Packaging Association (EPPA), which says most single-use containers are made from renewable resources and have an 82% recycling rate in the EU. Making and washing sustainable items takes a lot of energy and water, defeating the purpose of the environmental issue.

Restaurants have noticed that customers often take out reusable cups after meals or throw plates and cutlery in the trash instead of returning them.

How restaurants in France react to the ban on disposable packaging and utensils

A spokeswoman told AFP that after months of testing, the Subway sandwich chain found it necessary to undertake “public awareness efforts” with its franchisees, including new signs advising customers to reuse cutlery.

In a Parisian suburb of McDonald’s, Levallois-Perret manager Maria Varela said extra dishwashers and more attendants should be hired to explain the need to separate plates, knives and forks from trash cans.

“At first it was very complicated with counter and table service,” he said, noting that the kitchen had to be redesigned to accommodate the new requirements. “Everything that used to be cardboard is now reusable plastic. We had to rethink everything in the kitchen, separate take-out from on-site orders and create new storage spaces.

Lobby groups fear that the additional requirements will lead to resistance from fast food operators. Many, including Surfrider, Zero Waste France and No Plastic in My Sea, have urged customers to “allow unscrupulous chains” to do business elsewhere.

“I don’t know, but it feels good to be obligatory,” said Tom Fresno, 16, who was eating a burger with a friend at a McDonald’s outside the French capital.

“But it costs more than paper and cardboard, so I understand why it would be a problem for smaller fast food outlets to raise their prices,” he said.

This news was reported by AFP Relaxnews

(Main and featured image: Klebercordeiro/Getty Images)