Council takes part in ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ Campaign

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has taken part in a new litter campaign by McDonald’s in Northern Ireland, aimed at tackling litter in parks, on paths and along roadsides in towns across the province.

The ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign saw McDonald’s employees undertake 30 litter clean-ups in parks and nature areas across Northern Ireland throughout the 30 days of June. Led by the seven local franchisees across McDonald’s estate of 33 restaurants in NI, the clean-up events has been supported by local councils, elected representatives, schools and volunteer groups.

Attending a recent litter clean-up in Ballymena and Carrickfergus led by their local McDonald’s restaurants was Councillors Eugene Reid and Lauren Gray.

Cllr Reid said: 

“I am delighted that we are able to lend our support to this fantastic campaign. As a Council we take pride in ensuring our streets across the Borough are kept clean and we are continuously pro-active in trying to reduce the impact of litter, but it can also be a challenge so it is great to see organisations such as McDonalds taking action to address this serious issue.”

Pictured in Carrickfergus as part of McDonald’s ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ litter clean-up are: Victoria Bailie, McDonald’s Customer Care Team; McDonald’s Franchisee Operations Manager Karl Wilkinson; Councillor Lauren Gray of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; and Ricky Clarke from the Carrickfergus Eco Rangers.

Cllr Gray continued: 

"We are delighted to be supporting McDonald’s in their ‘30 NI Parks in 30 Days’ Litter Campaign. We share the frustration and disappointment that litter is still an ongoing issue but we are hopeful that the local clean ups will encourage residents across our Borough to be more socially responsible.”

Des Lamph, Franchisee of the McDonald’s Ballymena and Carrickfergus restaurant, commented: “At McDonald’s, we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously. We very much share our customers’ and stakeholders’ disappointment and frustration at seeing litter discarded carelessly in parks, on paths and by the sides of roads.

“Whilst our employees regularly undertake voluntary litter clean-ups in these areas, this collaborative ’30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign between our restaurants and local communities reinforces our strong commitment to tackling litter in Northern Ireland.”

Mr Lamph said the campaign adds further to “a wide range of litter initiatives” rolled out by McDonald’s on a daily basis. Across the UK and Ireland, McDonald’s staff collect 27 tonnes of litter every year, on litter patrols that take place around every restaurant three times a day. Employees cover a total of 5,000 miles each week picking up all waste, be it our own packaging or that of other restaurants and retailers.

The launch of the ’30 Parks in 30 Days’ initiative comes following McDonald’s recent ‘Talking Rubbish’ campaign in Northern Ireland with popular social media and entertainment social publisher LADbible Ireland.

Building on the success of McDonald’s #GetInTheBin campaign, the digital campaign features videos of items of ‘talking rubbish’ discarded at iconic locations across Northern Ireland. Whilst intended to be light-hearted and engaging, the campaign carries a serious message about the detrimental impact litter is having on the world around us.

Mr Lamph continued: “Alongside our practical and operational initiatives, we are committed to investing in proactive campaigns that help bring about behavioural change in relation to important societal and environmental issues such as littering.

“We have been hugely encouraged by the levels of engagement with our ‘Talking Rubbish’ campaign, which is targeted at the 18-34-year-old LADbible audience. With our first video in the series attracting over 25,000 interactions within a matter of hours on Facebook and Instagram, it is clear that a strong desire to make a positive change around littering is shared right across our society.”