Good News: KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut rejecting styrofoam packaging

Yum! Brands to Reject Styrofoam Packaging Worldwide

You might not recognize the name “YUM! Brands,” but you’ll recognize their brands — KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Habit Burger Grill. It’s the world’s biggest fast food company, with 50,000+ restaurants in 150+ countries around the world.

YUM! pledged to eliminate polystyrene (EPS) foam — Styrofoam — globally by 2022.

Styrofoam is a frequent component of beach litter, breaking down into tiny pieces that animals mistake for food. This is one more important step in cleaning up our ocean’s plastic problem. According to Conrad MacKerron, head of As You Sow’s Ocean Plastics work, “This action could significantly reduce the amount of single use packaging that ends up as littered waste, especially in developing economies where YUM! does substantial business.”

YUM!’s action will eliminate at least 100 million foam takeout containers per year. It follows McDonald’s and Dunkin’ commitments, which are removing a combined 2 billion Styrofoam cups from use annually.