Day 059 - 01 Dec 94 - Page 57
1 A. To the best of my knowledge, yes, it is.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Have you a difficulty of some kind?
4
5 MS. STEEL: Not really, it is just kind of getting started
6 actually.
7
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just sit down for a moment and collect your
9 thoughts so that you can get going.
10
11 MS. STEEL: I wanted to ask about McDonald's developing a waste
12 minimization and recycling programme. When do you say that
13 McDonald's first started doing that?
14 A. There are two different subjects there. "Waste
15 minimization" is probably the wrong term. You are talking
16 about reduction?
17
18 Q. Yes, reduction in waste, yes.
19 A. OK. I think a lot of the initiatives in reduction in
20 waste came from an Environmental Task Force that McDonald's
21 set up, I believe, around four years ago, although I was
22 not involved in that.
23
24 Q. That was in October 1990; is that right?
25 A. If that is what it says, that is right, yes. I was not
26 exactly involved directly with that. As far as recycling
27 is concerned, I think there has always been an initiative
28 as we have demonstrated with a number of the suppliers.
29 However, that initiative has gained more momentum in recent
30 years as the environmental issues have themselves gained
31 more momentum.
32
33 Q. As pressure has increased from outside of the corporation?
34 A. Well, i think as awareness has increased more than
35 pressure. I do not know that we have ever had much
36 pressure. There certainly is an awareness both inside and
37 outside the corporation and inside and outside of our
38 suppliers.
39
40 Q. Are you aware of the difference between a recycling
41 programme and the use of recycled materials?
42 A. Yes.
43
44 Q. Right, and what steps has McDonald's taken with regards to
45 a recycling programme?
46 A. With regard to anything in particular?
47
48 Q. Of its packaging?
49 A. Of packaging. I think the major initiative has been
50 the recycling plant that Lin Pac have established at
51 McDonald's request to try to and recycle polystyrene
52 packaging that we referred to earlier.
53
54 Q. The recycling plant that was opened in January 1992?
55 A. Yes.
56
57 Q. The recycling plant that only involves five of your stores
58 out of 550?
59 A. That is correct, for the reasons I gave you earlier.
60
