Inside new ‘sustainable’ McDonald’s restaurants opening across France where nuggets are served in reusable bowls and soda in washable cups

• In France, McDonald’s is required by law to provide durable containers instead of use its iconic packaging in a bid to reduce waste 
• A US shareholder advocacy group has called for the company to consider the benefits of bringing the reusable containers to America
• But it is not keen on introducing them to the US and views the reusable packing as ‘problematic’, arguing it is inconvenient and worse for the environment 

Sustainability laws in France have forced McDonald’s to serve chicken nuggets in hard plastic white bowls, its famous fries in red durable containers and soda in clear washable glasses. 

But the fast food giant is not keen on introducing them to the United States and views the reusable packing as ‘problematic’, arguing it is inconvenient for customers and even worse for the environment. 

In France, McDonald’s is required by law to provide durable containers instead of use its iconic packaging in a bid to reduce waste. 

A US shareholder advocacy group has called for the company to consider the benefits of bringing the reusable containers to America, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

However, McDonald’s head of international government relations has argued against it and does not want France to be the template for other countries around the world. 

Those dining inside McDonald’s restaurants in France are served their fries in a durable red container, their soda is handed to them in a clear washable glass and the nuggets are provided in a hard plastic white bowl.

Once they are finished with their meal, they drop the packaging into a bin where they are then washed, dried and reused. 

There is an assortment of 21 different cups, containers for fries and bowls which are different sizes. 

McDonald’s has always used disposable packaging to keep the orders flowing and keep utility and labor costs low. 

The French law has been costly and complex for McDonald’s and some of its restaurants still have not yet complied with the requirements and the deadline to is the end of this year. 

The fast food giant is worried that the French example could be followed by other countries in the world.

‘We don’t want France to be the template because we strongly believe that this doesn’t work,’ McDonald’s head of international government relations Serge Thines said. ‘It’s very problematic.’ 

McDonald’s is facing proposed laws which are forcing reusable packaging or banning singe-use plastic in countries including Portugal, Sweden and Poland.

While in Germany and the Netherlands it already has to comply with laws offering reusable cups to those who ask and pay a deposit. 

Thines spoke out about McDonald’s view ahead of a vote on a proposed European Union-wide law which would require fast-food restaurants to offer reusable containers for customers who eat it in and set up a method to wash and dry them.

This proposal was rejected last month following intense backlash from the food industry. 

McDonald’s has worked on alternatives to its single-use plastic and has trialed plastic-free cups.

It has told lawmakers it mainly uses paper packaging for its food.

However, environmentalists and recycling industry executives argue moving from single-use plastic to paper when it is used for food is hard to recycle and shifts waste problems. 

In one McDonald’s restaurant in Paris, the company has a powerful dishwasher which cleans the reusable containers in just two minutes and dries them in similar time. 

Consumers are also asked to empty liquids into one hole and throw food into another. While there is a third place for disposable packaging and a fourth for the reusable plates and cups.  

McDonald’s says around 92 percent of its reusable containers are returned and they are used for an average of 29 times before they are damaged, thrown out or taken by customers. 

It has argued that using reusable containers would increase plastic packaging waste and greenhouse-gas emissions.

But nonprofit organization Zero Waste Europe says reusable systems could cut emissions when better developed. 

The fast food chain recently phased out the plastic McFlurry spoon in a bid to ‘help save the environment.’ 

McDonald’s is lobbying for it to continue using its paper packaging which it claims can be recycled.