Anyone who wants to buy a hot or cold drink or McFlurry at McDonald’s in Poland has to pay an extra PLN 30 per cup. Well, unless the customer arrives at the point with his own cup – the fee is not added. McDonald’s policy is not very original. Similar additional charges occur in other networks and are interpreted by the requirements of the EU Directive on Single-Use Plastic Products (Known as SUP steering).
Nowadays, hardly anyone comes to the chain’s outlets with their own cups, so you have to take into account that buying a set will be a bit more expensive.
Germany has a different solution.
Interestingly, the same network in Germany handled the routing requirements slightly differently.
Since last year, McDonald’s in this country has introduced reusable plastic packaging. You pay a lot for it, 2 euros (about 8.5 PLN), but you can return the packaging to any restaurant in Germany and get your deposit back. But most importantly, you don’t have to choose the deposit option. You can simply choose paper packaging. There is no extra charge for this.
This is what it looks like in practice – for example, a McFlurry costs €3.99 in a paper cup and €5.99 in a plastic cup with a deposit. So we either buy without a deposit or choose an eco-friendly option, but we can easily get the €2 back later. This seems to be a more wallet-friendly option than the Polish solution.
At German McDonald’s, depositing packaging is an option, not an obligation.
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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska
So we asked McDonald’s for comment. “As part of our global strategy to achieve net zero emissions, one of our three key areas of activity is reducing consumption and reducing waste, including packaging. In different markets, we are testing and implementing a number of solutions that take into account food safety, the needs and comfort of our guests, and legal requirements that vary between countries. In accordance with the requirements of the SUPD Implementation Act in Poland, the final price includes the consumer fee charged for each package containing a polymer mixture. – Polish McDonald’s tells Business Insider.
In Poland, there is an additional charge for every 30 grozy cups.
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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska
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“In Poland, in cooperation with the recycling company from Toruń, Miklan-Ryza, we have developed and implemented an innovative technology thanks to which we recover paper fibres from so-called difficult packaging – which contains a polymer mixture or is contaminated with food. We process the waste packaging into paper towels and toilet paper, which – now in a new form – are again available in our restaurants. In addition, the “I have my own cup” option has been available in our restaurants for several years, and in June 2024 we introduced reusable YourCup cups,” the Polish branch of McDonald’s tells us.
Author: Mateusz Madejski, Business Insider Polska journalist
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