McDonald's will no longer be allowed to offer single-use cups containing plastic to guests for consumption in its Dutch restaurants. The Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) is demanding the switch to reusable alternatives by 5 January 2027 at the latest. Otherwise, the fast-food corporation faces financial penalties of up to 3.75 million euros.
The trigger is a request by the environmental organisation Fair Resource Foundation (FRF) for official enforcement of the applicable regulations. According to the organisation, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) subsequently investigated practices at McDonald's over the past few months. Violations were reportedly found during several dozen restaurant visits.
Since August 2024, McDonald’s has been handing out single-use cups for consumption on the premises. According to the ILT, the company is thereby in breach of current regulations on single-use packaging containing plastic. In addition, an extra charge is said to have been demanded from customers for the cups.
Reusable from January 2027
According to the FRF, the ILT is demanding that from 5 January 2027 McDonald’s must exclusively provide reusable cups for drinks consumed on the premises. Should the company fail to meet this requirement, it faces a weekly penalty payment of €625,000. In total, the sanction is capped at €3.75 million.
According to the Fair Resource Foundation, the amount is based on the revenue McDonald’s generated from the single-use cups subject to an extra charge.
„McDonald’s is a symbol of the throwaway culture. Hopefully, this marks the beginning of the end of this trend,“ says Chloé Schwizgebel from the Fair Resource Foundation. Single-use packaging litters streets, beaches, and oceans, while also resulting in a significant consumption of energy and raw materials.
McDonald's criticises practical implementation
McDonald's Netherlands is refuting the environmental organisation's criticism and defending its current practice. While the company explicitly supports the objectives of the Single-Use Plastics regulations, it considers that the existing rules do not adequately take into account the operational processes in quick-service restaurants.
McDonald's describes the distinction between eating in and take-away as particularly problematic. Customers sometimes only decide to take a drink with them after eating in the restaurant. Until now, the company has offered single-use cups for such cases.
McDonald's also argues that reusable packaging does not automatically lead to a lower environmental impact under all conditions. If return rates are low, new reusable cups have to be produced on an ongoing basis. Since, according to the company, these contain significantly more plastic than single-use cups with a thin plastic coating, plastic consumption and greenhouse gas emissions could even increase if the number of usage cycles is too low.
The company therefore demands that regulation should take greater account of data on consumer behavior, return rates, and the ecological and economic impacts of reusable packaging in the catering industry.
Changeover announced for 5 January
Notwithstanding its criticism, McDonald’s intends to implement the ILT's requirements. The company announced that it is currently adapting the necessary processes. From 5 January 2027, drinks consumed on the premises are to be served exclusively in reusable cups.
McDonald’s maintains at the same time its assessment that this approach could lead to higher plastic consumption under certain conditions and therefore does not necessarily support the environmental objectives of the regulation. According to its own statements, the company intends to continue the dialogue with the responsible ministry and the ILT regarding practicable packaging regulations.
The Fair Resource Foundation, on the other hand, sees the ordered switch as an important boost for reusable packaging. Among other things, it points to Burger King in the Netherlands and McDonald's in France, where reusable tableware and packaging have already been used for dining in since 2023.
Sources: Fair Resource Foundation, McDonald’s Nederland
