Day 009 - 08 Jul 94 - Page 27


     
     1
         MISS STEEL:  So you think that stores outside of the USA
     2        actually do more business?
              A.  Yes.  My knowledge of our business is that they have
     3        more sales, conduct more transactions.  As to how that
              relates to packaging, I would not necessarily conclude
     4        that that also means more packaging because again the
              packaging practices are different.  I know they use less
     5        packaging in some instances, more in others.
 
     6   Q.   So if they use less in some and more in others, this is
              probably going to average out roughly the same?
     7        A.  You may conclude that.  I do not know that from a
              quantitative viewpoint.
     8
         Q.   If we assume that roughly 140 pounds of on premises waste
     9        is produced in every McDonald's store in the world, that
              is obviously not counting take aways, that is 1,960,000
    10        pounds of packaging waste every day?
              A.  That sounds correct.
    11
         Q.   Which is 980 short of US tonnes of waste every day, and
    12        that is over 355,000 US tonnes per year.  So that is quite
              a considerable amount of packaging, is it not?
    13        A.  No, I do not think it is a considerable amount.  If
              you take a look at our, if you take look at the waste, if
    14        you like to delve into it -----
 
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just quite shortly say why you give that
              answer?
    16        A.  In essence, look at our business, the local restaurant
              in your neighbourhood, look at McDonald's, not as a large
    17        company, look at McDonald's as your local restaurant
              servicing 2,000 people a day -- that is a lot of meals.
    18        So when we look at our waste generation and the amount of
              packaging we look at, that is how we look at it.  So when
    19        you quantify the packaging versus the people served and
              the food served and you put that in relative terms, we
    20        think that is a very efficient way of serving food and
              minimising solid waste.
    21
         MISS STEEL:  That 355,000 tonnes, as I say, does not include
    22        the packaging that is taken away.  So the total amount of
              packaging produced by McDonald's is likely to be over half
    23        a million tonnes every year.  You do not think that is a
              huge amount?
    24        A.  No, I do not.  I think if we would refer to some of
              the charts we have in the EDF report, you again, when you
    25        put it in a relative scale to the amount of customers we
              are serving, would find that it would be a very efficient 
    26        way of handling food service packaging.  So much of our 
              packaging comes in bulk; you know, bulk hamburgers that 
    27        have shipping packaging; bulk ketchup; bulk mustard; bulk
              coke; very efficient way of handling food, protecting it,
    28        then serving it to the customer.
 
    29   Q.   Only a tiny percentage of that waste that is being
              produced by McDonald's is being recycled by McDonald's?
    30        A.  No, that is not true.  The largest portion, the
              largest single portion of our waste is not what you see.

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