From January 1st, French fast food bans the use of disposable tableware!
From January 1, 2023, France will ban the use of disposable plates, cups and cutlery when dining in restaurants with 20 or more seats to reduce packaging waste. The measure stems from laws passed in 2020 to combat waste and the circular economy.
According to the new regulations, from next year all fast food restaurants with more than 20 seats will no longer provide disposable tableware and drink cups, and will instead provide reusable and washable tableware. The new rules cover not only fast-food chains such as McDonald's, but also some canteens and sushi restaurants.
Furthermore, 40% of plastic and 50% of paper used in the EU is used in packaging, making packaging one of the main users of raw materials. With this in mind, the French government hopes that this new directive will significantly reduce the consumption and waste of cardboard and plastic in France. However, the law only applies to meals consumed on-site, and takeaway meals will continue to be sold in single-use packaging.
According to statistics, there are about 30,000 fast food restaurants in France, which serve 6 billion meals a year and generate about 180,000 tons of waste. Environmental organizations believe that since 55% of the customers are dine-in, it is completely possible to use reusable tableware.
