McDonald's new playground made from recycled Happy Meal toys

Toys that would have otherwise gone to waste when the chain shut during the first lockdown have been melted down and given a new lease of life. 

The playground, at the John Radcliffe Hospital, features a pyramid den, an interactive wall, and an activity table.

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When the playground breaks or is no longer fit for purpose it has been designed so it can be recycled again and again. 

It is accessible for all youngsters, whether they can or can’t walk, and is part of the Ronald McDonald House – free accommodation for families with sick children at Oxford’s Children Hospital. 

Television presenter Katie Piper opened the playground this week ready for families to use over Christmas.

Chris and Laura O’Donnell said the Ronald McDonald House was a ‘lifeline’ when their baby Jack was born at 26 weeks.

He has spent two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital.
This week they spent time away playing in the park with their sons Lewis and Oscar. 

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From January 1, 2021 McDonald’s has pledged to use no non-sustainable hard plastic in Happy Meal toys, which will remove 3,000 tonnes of plastic from circulation. 

The company has also said it will be making at least 15 parks similar to this one in the next year – using recycled toys that have been donated by children at the ‘toy amnesty bins’ in restaurants. 

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