Burger King to remove all plastic toys from kids meals in UK

They're also planning to melt down and recycle the old ones.

Burger King have vowed to remove all plastic toys from their kids meals in the UK. The move comes as the fast food chain attempt to cut down on their plastic waste after two young sisters created a petition asking them to stop giving out the traditional toys. Ella and Caitlin McEwan, aged nine and seven respectively, made the petition asking Burger King and McDonald's to reconsider their contribution to plastic waste. They asked the chains to "think of the environment and stop giving plastic toys with their kids meals" - toys that children play with "for five minutes before they get thrown away and harm animals and pollute the sea." "After we learned about the environment and pollution in school we wanted to do everything we could to help," they said. "We put a poster up in the window of our house about saving the planet and we try and recycle as much as we can. But we want to do more, which is why we started this petition. "It’s not enough to make recyclable plastic toys - big, rich companies shouldn’t be making toys out of plastic at all." The petition, in which the sisters suggested that the toys could be made from sustainable materials rather than plastic, has received over half a million signatures. Burger King announced today that they were indeed scrapping the plastic toys from their kids meals in Britain. They will also be providing bins for children to bring back the toys they already have, where they will be recycled and used to make play areas. "We're making a start. This is a step in the right direction," said UK chief executive Alasdair Murdoch. "If it makes other competitors move their practices forward, that can only be a good thing." Burger King estimate the move will save 320 million tonnes of plastic waste a year. McDonald's have said that they will not be scrapping their plastic toys, but will give children the option to choose between a toy and a piece of fruit.