Stuart Anderson MP has joined forces with Lea Road McDonald's in Wolverhampton to tidy up the streets and to make the area cleaner for everyone to live in and visit. He took part in a community litter pick on the 20th of January 2023 that was organised by Lea Road Franchisee, Mr Ash Raju.
Since his election in 2019, Stuart has been campaigning to create a cleaner and safer Wolverhampton. He has held litter picks in different parts of the city and was pleased to team up with the team at McDonald's on Lea Road to take this initiative forward.
It follows research commissioned by McDonald’s in 2020, which showed that 42% of the public notice litter when out and about - with food packaging being the biggest culprit. It also emerged that 58% of the UK public describe it as a ‘major problem’ in their area, with 30% stating common areas being outside fast food or takeaway outlets. McDonald’s has made a long-term commitment to combatting litter across the UK. It is taking action to ensure that all customer packaging is recyclable by 2024 as part of its Plan For Change.
In recent years, the Government has bolstered councils' enforcement powers, such as by almost doubling the maximum fixed penalty for littering. It has also set out new guidance to ensure takeaway food businesses play their part in cleaning up our streets - setting out stricter litter rules for new hot food takeaways, such as by making sure more bins are installed.
Stuart Anderson MP said: “Litter blights our community and damages perceptions of our city. That’s why I was delighted to join forces with Lea Road McDonald’s Franchisee, Ash Raju to tidy up our area. While this seems like a simple thing to do, tidier communities are an essential ingredient that helps to create happier ones. Together, we are taking action to clean up our streets so that people can take more pride in their communities.”
Wolverhampton McDonald’s Franchisee, Mr Ash Raju said: “McDonald’s is taking extra action to combat littering in local communities across the UK. We would like to thank Stuart for backing our initiative in Wolverhampton. At McDonald’s, we share Stuart’s ambition to make sure our streets are cleaner and safer. This is just one part of our action to play a leading role in making a positive change in our city.”
Harmander Singh Dhanjal, Headteacher from Nishkam Primary School Wolverhampton said: ‘It is a fantastic initiative that Ash Raju has initiated in the community, as a green flag Eco-School, this links in directly to our school virtues and ethos. Our pupils were thrilled to welcome Ash’s team, Stuart Anderson MP and other councillors. We look forward to other such initiatives to serve our community and the environment.’
For more information on McDonald’s UK sustainability please visit https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/good-to-know/environment.html