Local McDonald's volunteers clean up Warwick and Leamington Spa

Crew members from the McDonald’s restaurant on Warwick’s Emscote Road, which is owned and operated by local Franchisee, Dawood Ibtehsam, go out three times a week in Warwick and Leamington Spa to clean up the local areas.

The team has already covered over 1,000 miles and collected more than 500 bags of litter on their litter picks so far this year. Their ongoing clean-up efforts form part of the team’s initiative to support Warwick Council’s Bloom Project.

McDonald’s Franchisee, Dawood Ibtehsam, who owns and operates the restaurant on Warwick’s Emscote Road, said: “I couldn’t be prouder of my fantastic team for giving their time to their local community, week in week out. They ensure the local areas we all enjoy are clear of litter, making them a better and brighter place for all those that live here. As McDonald’s celebrates its 50th year in the UK, we continue to put people at the very heart of what we do, and this is just one example of our dedication to being a good neighbour.”

McDonald’s crew members have been cleaning up litter dropped in local communities for over 35 years. Crews across the UK cover a total of 5,000 miles each week on litter patrols (where they collect all types of litter, not just McDonald’s branded packaging). This equates to 260,000 miles, or the distance from Earth to the Moon since the programme began in the late ‘80s.

McDonald’s is tackling litter in local communities, both by litter picking and reducing the amount of waste its restaurants produce. The brand has been working to make recycling easier over the past four years too, and since 2015, has installed over 1,100 new recycling units, meaning it’s easier to separate plastics and cups for recycling in 85% of its restaurants. McDonald’s also collects used oil from its kitchens and turns this into enough biodiesel to fuel more than half of its delivery fleet.