Can You Recycle McDonald’s Packaging?

You can recycle some McDonald’s packaging, including paper cups, bags, food boxes, drink holders, and toys. However, you cannot recycle plastic lids, old plastic toys, or plastic McFlurry straws. Additionally, if McDonald’s packaging still contains food or grease, it is recommended to be thrown in the standard waste bin.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Paper Cups?

McDonald’s paper cups can be recycled and put into almost any recycling bin as long as the cups have been washed out and dried so that no coffee or soda is stuck in the cup.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Plastic Cups?

In most situations, you can recycle the plastic cups McDonald’s uses, although it depends on the city and the recycling company you use.

However, in any situation, the plastic cups must be cleaned out and free of any liquid to be recycled.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Boxes?

You can recycle the McDonald’s boxes that your food comes in as long as it’s not covered in grease and there is no food stuck to the box, such as cheese or pieces of hamburger.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Toys?

McDonald’s toys aren’t typically recyclable, but McDonald’s is doing away with the plastic it uses for most toys and will use corn and other materials for their toys and packaging.

Furthermore, in France, plastic toys have already been removed and replaced with paper trading cards and paper coloring items.

Those paper-based toys can be recycled as long as there is no food contamination on them, so if you’re in France, you can recycle them.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Straws?

McDonald’s admitted that you cannot recycle the new paper straws found in some restaurants in the U.K. and Ireland, but the old plastic straws are recyclable. 

Additionally, the company replaced the old plastic straws in thousands of restaurants with the new paper straws to help the environment. Still, they ended up being too thick to be recycled properly.

So, the recyclability of the straws depends on which one is at the location you’re getting your McDonald’s food from and where you’re located.

The good news is that McDonald’s is moving towards more sustainable solutions, so hopefully, McDonald’s will keep working on the straw situation and find the perfect thickness for the straws.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Bags?

You can recycle McDonald’s bags, which are made from fiber-based material; however, all food and liquid need to be cleared out of the bag before you recycle them.

On top of that, McDonald’s bags are now made from recycled materials, so it’s a continuous cycle to move towards more sustainable packaging.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Lids?

Unfortunately, the lids on the McDonald’s cups are not recyclable, although you can reuse them at home just fine and get several more uses out of them.

Once you’re done with the lid, it should be thrown into the regular trash and not put into the plastics recycling bin or anywhere else that holds recycling.

However, McDonald’s has been looking into changing the lids to make them from a fiber material, and if that change happens in the future, those fiber-based lids will be recyclable.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s McFlurry Spoons?

You cannot recycle the McDonald’s McFlurry spoons if they are plastic and should just be thrown away in the trash after you’ve consumed the McFlurry.

However, McDonald’s has been moving towards using wooden spoons, such as they did in the Netherlands, which are recyclable and won’t end up in the landfill like plastic spoons.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Napkins?

You should never recycle napkins from any restaurant or home, so McDonald’s napkins should be discarded and not placed in recycling containers.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Sauce Containers?

Unfortunately, you cannot recycle the sauce containers that McDonald’s uses since they contain chemicals and sauce ingredients.

Any item with residue from condiments or sauces cannot be recycled and could contaminate the entire recycle bin, so just throw them away in the trash can.

However, it can be washed out at home and reused for your personal needs, which is a great way to help conserve plastics being thrown in the trash, and it’ll come in handy in the kitchen!

Are McDonald’s French Fry Cartons Recyclable?

You cannot recycle the McDonald’s French Fry cartons since they’ve held greasy fries, and grease-soiled items cannot be recycled or washed out.

Further, if you try to recycle these containers, you will ruin the items in the recycle bin, so it’s best to avoid it altogether.

Can You Recycle McDonald’s Hash Brown Carton?

Unfortunately, just like with the French Fries, the hash brown cartons contain grease all over the inside, which cannot be recycled or cleaned out enough to be considered grease-free.

Any item that contains grease or food components cannot be recycled, and since grease is absorbed into the carton, there is no way to remove it from the box.

To find out more about McDonald’s, you can also see our posts on whether you can buy McDonald’s toys, where to buy McDonald’s gift cards, and how to get free stuff at McDonald’s.