McDonald’s in US is Getting Rid of Iconic McFlurry Plastic Spoon to Reduce Plastic Use

After nearly 30 years, McDonald’s in the US is scrapping its iconic hollow McFlurry spoons starting this month.

A McDonald’s spokesperson who spoke to Food & Wine said that the spoons are now being phased out as the chain’s US restaurants are now transitioning to reusable spindles that are swapped out and cleaned after each McFlurry is made. The desserts will then be served with a smaller black spoon, the same one that McDonald’s already gives out with its sundaes, which it says “uses less plastic.”

“This small change will help reduce single-use plastic waste in restaurants,” McDonald’s said in a statement. The company announced last October that it was switching to compostable, paper-based McFlurry spoons in the UK.

According to a photo shared on a Reddit forum for McDonald’s employees, the new spoon given to customers buying a McFlurry will be individually wrapped. The photo also appears to show that the new reusable spindles are pink, with employees instructed to use a new spindle for each McFlurry unless they get asked for multiple desserts of the one flavor in the same order.

Meanwhile, a McDonald’s spokesperson told Insider that the reusable McFlurry spindles would be brought to all company-owned and franchised restaurants in the US and that the timing of the rollout would vary by location.

Additionally, other steps McDonald’s has been taking to cut back on plastic use include using paper-based straws, McFlurry cups without plastic lids, and introducing salad boxes and cutlery made from renewable fiber.

What do you think of the change? Let us know in the comments.

Also read: McDonald’s Japan Offers Prawn Nuggets For Limited Time