Banbridge High pupils tackle litter in park

The event formed part of a new McDonald’s campaign, aimed at tackling litter in parks, on paths and along roadsides in towns across the province.

The ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign has seen McDonald’s employees undertake 30 litter clean-ups in parks and nature areas across Northern Ireland throughout the 30 days of June. Led by the seven local franchisees across McDonald’s estate of 33 restaurants in NI, the clean-up events have been supported by local councils, elected representatives and schools, including Banbridge High.

The Banbridge litter clean-up event was also supported by Jonathan Buckley MLA, who said: “It was a great pleasure to support McDonald’s ongoing campaign to tackle litter, by assisting at the clean-up event at Solitude Park.

“McDonald’s have demonstrated an impressive track record in tackling litter in our public spaces locally, and I commend all those staff members involved in bringing this initiative to fruition.

“It was also extremely encouraging to see the involvement and enthusiasm of the pupils from Banbridge High School who rolled up their sleeves in getting involved.”

John McCollum, Franchisee of the McDonald’s Banbridge restaurant commented: “At McDonald’s, we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously. We very much share our customers’ and stakeholders’ disappointment and frustration at seeing litter discarded carelessly in parks, on paths and by the sides of roads. Whilst our employees regularly undertake voluntary litter clean-ups in these areas, this collaborative ’30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign between our restaurants and local communities reinforces our strong commitment to tackling litter in Northern Ireland.”

Mr McCollum said the campaign adds further to “a wide range of litter initiatives” rolled out by McDonald’s on a daily basis. Across the UK and Ireland, McDonald’s staff collect 27 tonnes of litter every year, on litter patrols that take place around every restaurant three times a day. Employees cover a total of 5,000 miles each week picking up all waste, be it its own packaging or that of other restaurants and retailers.

The launch of the ’30 Parks in 30 Days’ initiative comes following McDonald’s recent ‘Talking Rubbish’ campaign in Northern Ireland with popular social media and entertainment social publisher LADbible Ireland.

Building on the success of McDonald’s #GetInTheBin campaign, the digital campaign features videos of items of ‘talking rubbish’ discarded at iconic locations across Northern Ireland. Whilst intended to be light-hearted and engaging, the campaign carries a serious message about the detrimental impact litter is having on the world around us.

Mr McCollum continued: “Alongside our practical and operational initiatives, we are committed to investing in proactive campaigns that help bring about behavioural change in relation to important societal and environmental issues such as littering. We have been hugely encouraged by the levels of engagement with our ‘Talking Rubbish’ campaign.”