Burger King Pioneers Sustainable Fast Food Packaging with Reusable Containers

There's a lot to love about fast food, from your favorite kind of French fries to your nostalgia for kids' meal toys to the way you can just toss the whole package when you're done. Everybody can get behind not doing dishes, but the cost is high, even if it remains unseen. Fast food packaging waste can pile up fast, but one mega-chain is actually doing something about it.

Burger King announced last week that as part of its latest commitment to sustainability, restaurants will soon give customers in certain cities the option of reusable packaging. Don't expect ceramic dishware, though — instead, imagine sturdy clamshell containers for burgers and non-flimsy cups for hot and cold beverages. When you pay for your meal, the price will include a small deposit for the reusable containers; once you're done, you return the containers and get a refund.

The move comes in partnership with Loop, the sustainability initiative that debuted last year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At a time when recycling, especially recycling plastics, seems more confusing and dubious than ever, genuinely reusable containers offer a straightforward path to reducing our consumption habits.

For its part, Burger King wants to go fully sustainable on its packaging by 2025, as well as offering more ethically sourced beef and vegetarian options. Big systemic shifts like these are becoming more commonplace. Even if you're not one of the world's biggest restaurant chains, going for more reusable and sustainable dining options as an individual can help out too.