Litter is a major problem. And unfortunately, McDonald’s packaging is in the top 5 of the most frequently found litter. So realizing McDonald’s is part of the problem, we felt the need to do something about it in a way that fits the identity of the brand. McDonald’s is all about creating little moments of joy. But the least fun part of a McDonald’s experience is throwing away the litter after you’ve finished eating it. So the question was; how could we engage the audience to buy in and become motivated to consciously dispose of their waste?

We created the world’s first and biggest Litter Game Show. And turned ordinary trash cans into special fortune bins at all our two hundred and fifty-three restaurants. Automatically every visitor was part of the show by just binning their trash. They could be surprised anywhere at any time by our game show host with amazing prizes. We launched the game show on TV and encouraged viewers everywhere to participate. In the following weeks, all across the country, McDonald’s guests were rewarded for binning their waste. The show was streamed on social media motivating others to also try their luck by binning their trash.

The majority of anti-litter interventions or campaigns are focused on addressing people with norms, stating the rules and the potential punishments for littering. Working with behavioral scientists and analyzing possible interventions, we discovered that a lot of littering is done very unconsciously. Hardly anyone is pro-litter. However, most people are not actively throwing away their waste on the streets, but just ‘forget’ it, leaving it where they finished their meal. So, our job was to make binning your waste a more active and conscious decision. Not by threatening guests, but by motivating McDonald’s guests to do the right thing. We decided to solve the brief with an activation, focused on stimulating the audience for desired behavior. The best way to prevent litter is by making binning something positive. To position McDonald’s as an active fighter against litter, by creating a national pro-binning activation, rewarding guests that do the right thing.

It all started with the trash cans at all of the two hundred and fifty-three restaurants. We turned them into special fortune bins so automatically every visitor was part of the show by just binning their trash. We launched the game show on TV and encouraged viewers everywhere to participate. In the following weeks, all across the country McDonald’s guests were rewarded with prizes for binning their waste. The show was streamed on social media motivating others to also try their luck by binning their trash.

The campaign was covered by 33 different national news channels, earning a reach of more than 6.5 million. Significantly more people now know that McDonald’s works to reduce litter and offers sustainable solutions. 70% of the Dutch population agrees that the brand encourages to throw waste in the bin. Positive social sentiment around McDonald’s and litter improved by 5 %-points while negative sentiment decreased by 6,8 %-points. 57% of the reached audience is more inclined to throw garbage in a bin as a result. And as a result, McDonald's collected a significant 11% increase of waste during the campaign.