April 11, 2008

McDonald’s Trims Trips To The Landfill

McDonald’s has been running a trial program at 11 Sheffield, UK restaurants to save on the rising cost of sending waste to landfill sites (landfill taxes in the UK rose by 33 percent a tonne at the start of April) as part of a drive to encourage businesses to produce less waste by sending it to the city’s waste incinerator, which generates electricity and heats homes and buildings in the city center, The Star reports.

McDonald’s saw a 54 percent reduction in the carbon impact of disposing of waste from the 11 outlets. The project was audited by the Carbon Trust.

The 11 restaurants are also testing other energy efficiency options. McDonald’s is considering rolling out the waste project to other locations.

McDonald’s has decided that with 31,000-plus restaurants in 118 countries, coming up with one environmental blueprint for all of its restaurants is impossible. Instead, the company is trying out a number of individualized environmental initiatives, such as the one in Sheffield.

McDonald’s is using networking equipment from Echelon Corporation to manage and reduce the energy consumption of its kitchens.

A McDonald’s restaurant in Pensacola, Florida is digging 55 holes, 350 feet deep to heat and cool the new restaurant with geothermal energy.

A while back, Bob Langert, vice president of corporate social responsibility, posted his “Top Ten Lessons Learned on CSR Strategy, Partnerships, and Policy Development.”

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