Fast-food giant McDonald’s has opened the UK’s first-ever net-zero carbon restaurant in the Shropshire town of Market Drayton.

The new McDonald’s site, which opened on Friday (10 December), is the first in the country to have been designed “to be net zero emissions standard in both construction and everyday operation” and will serve as a ”blueprint for future restaurants”.

Some of the notable net-zero carbon initiatives being piloted at the Market Drayton site include a Drive-Thru lane made from recycled tyres, wall art made from used coffee beans and kerbstones made from plastic bottles.

Insulation for the site is provided by recycled British wool, the building is cladded in recycled IT equipment and household white goods appliances and a biodiversity garden and nature trail will capture and recycle rainwater while providing a habitat for native animals.

All power at the restaurant is provided by on-site solar panels and wind turbines, and features electric vehicle charging points and furniture made from 100% recycled materials - part of McDonald’s commitment to ensure that by 2023 all furniture in new and refurbished restaurants will be made from recycled or certified materials.

McDonald’s said the restaurant will “act as a testing site for a number of industry-first innovations” to inform future freehold store designs in 2022 and beyond.

McDonald’s vice president of supply chain and brand trust Beth Hart said: “At McDonald’s we believe that our food needs to be served in restaurants that are sustainable for the future. Market Drayton is a big step towards making that a reality, enabling us to test and put into practice what a net-zero emissions building, both in build and use, really looks like. 

“We’ve already started to roll out some of these innovations to other restaurants, but what is exciting about Market Drayton is the fact it will act as a blueprint for our future new builds.