KFC switching to bamboo buckets

Have you been to KFC recently and noticed the bucket felt different?

The fried chicken chain has announced all poutine and chicken bowls will permanently be served in bamboo buckets by the end of 2020.

Additionally, KFC intends to scale the packaging solution to include all its famous buckets by the end of 2021.

The switch to a bamboo bucket will result in KFC Canada eliminating 55 tonnes of plastic waste annually.

“KFC has the most iconic packaging in the world. As we looked to find a reliable and eco-friendly solution for our buckets, bamboo emerged as the winner,” Armando Carrillo, innovation manager for KFC Canada, said in a news release.

“Bamboo is one of the most renewable and fastest-growing materials, is naturally anti-bacterial and 100 per cent biodegradable, requires no pesticides, and regenerates itself very quickly when harvested. Bamboo is one of many ways we’re keeping harmful waste out of Canadian landfills,” he continued.

KFC began testing the bamboo buckets in select restaurants in Ontario and Quebec in 2019 and received an overwhelmingly positive response from both customers and staff.

“As a global brand, we have a tremendous responsibility to make a difference in the communities we operate in and to work collectively to make our planet a more sustainable place to live,” Nivera Wallani, president and general manager of KFC Canada, said in the same release.

“While we are incredibly proud of this achievement, we have more to do–and look forward to innovating further to bring additional eco-friendly solutions to our restaurants,” she continued.

The bamboo bucket is one of many sustainability endeavours KFC has taken recently, including eliminating 50 million straws and 10 million plastic bags from all restaurants and committing to eliminating all non-recoverable and non-reusable plastic packaging, including drink lids, cups, cutlery, and more, by 2025.