Distillery FC and MLAs team up with McDonalds to tackle litter

The event formed part of McDonald’s campaign 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 more than 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 34 restaurants in NI, the clean-up events were supported by local councils, elected representatives and football clubs, including Lisburn Distillery FC.

Craig McVeigh, main coach at Lisburn Distillery Academy said: “We are trying to teach our players about the importance of representing their local community both on and off the pitch. The McDonald’s ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign is a great way of getting them involved in tackling litter in the Lisburn area from a young age.”

The McDonald’s Sprucefield restaurant also held a litter clean up event in the Lisburn area. This was attended by local MLAs Paul Givan, Emma Little-Pengelly, and David Honeyford.

Paul Givan, MLA, said: “I commend McDonald’s for playing its part to improve the local environment through this campaign of litter picks. We all have a role to play and the employees at McDonald’s are leading by example.”

David Honeyford, MLA, also commented: “I was delighted to support this initiative from McDonald’s. Litter is a stain on our local environment and something we can all play our part in making sure it stops.”

John McCollum, Franchisee of the McDonald’s McKinstry Road and Sprucefield restaurants said: “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 Lisburn and the surrounding areas, this collaborative ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign between our restaurants and local communities reinforces our strong commitment of our wider business to tackling litter right across Northern Ireland.”