McDonald's begins phasing out plastic toys in Happy Meals

(AP) — McDonald’s plans to “drastically” reduce the plastic in its Happy Meal toys worldwide by 2025.

The burger giant said Tuesday it’s working with toy companies to develop new ideas, such as three-dimensional cardboard superheroes kids can build or board games with plant-based or recycled game pieces. McDonald’s said it’s also exploring using recycled plastic toys to make new restaurant trays.

McDonald’s won’t say how many Happy Meals it sells each year. But it said the new goal will reduce virgin plastic use by 90% compared to 2018 levels.

Already in the United Kingdom and Ireland, McDonald’s restaurants are only offering soft toys, paper-based toys or books. Burger King removed plastic toys from kids’ meals in the U.K. in 2019.