When the McDonalds ice cream machine is not perpetually broken, there’s nothing quite like a McFlurry to bring you joy. While you’ll still be able to enjoy the tasty treat, you’ll no longer be able to eat it with its iconic, chunky plastic spoon. After almost three decades, the fast food chain is swapping out the spoon in order to try and save plastic.
That solution is apparently still plastic, but just less plastic. The chunky spoon is being swapped out for the smaller spoon that comes with sundaes as well as a reusable spindle on the machine itself, which can mix up the McFlurry and will be cleaned after each use, according to a CNN Business report Wednesday.
“This small change will help reduce single-use plastic waste in restaurants – while giving customers the same delicious McFlurry they know and love. That’s a win-win in our book,” McDonald’s wrote in a press release. “So while you may not see our famous spindle-spoon in your McFlurry anymore, know that it’s still working hard for you (and the planet!) behind the counter.”
The spoon’s retirement comes as it almost reaches its 30th birthday. A McDonald’s supplier employee invented the spoon in 1995 according to a quote from a restaurant spokesperson in Food and Wine in 2021. Since then the spoons have doubled as both a dessert transportation device and a mixer on the McFlurry machine—and definitely not a straw—but will soon be phased out completely as the company continues to pivot toward more sustainable solutions.
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The fast-food restaurant chain has made efforts in recent years to cut down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions. McDonald’s anticipates that changes to its food preparation will result in 150 million metric tons of carbon dioxide staying out of the atmosphere by 2030. McDonald’s still generates a ton of waste, a majority of which is plastic or plastic-based. Wall Street Journal wrote this spring that McDonald’s is facing industry-wide pressure from government regulators and investors alike to cut back on plastic waste. The company is expected to release a comprehensive report next year describing the pros and cons of its plastic consumption.
