A boy and his sister are boycotting McDonald’s Happy Meals unless they ditch the toys that come with them.

William Weir, seven, has written to the fast-food chain after his mum Carrie, 41, told him how bad the plastic toys are for the planet.

After telling his friends he had decided he didn’t want anymore of the treat until they decided to stop handing the toys out, they have said they will do the same.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Carrie and husband Neil, 49, filmed their son explaining he likes seeing the ‘beautiful fish’ in the sea and doesn’t want it to end.




She said: ‘I asked him if anyone asked him why he feels this way, what he would say.

Which industries could miss out on Rishi Sunak's plan to support 'viable jobs'?

‘He said “well I am seven and I would like to live until I’m 57 and have children. And I would like for there to still be a planet for those children”.

‘Those are his words and thoughts. It is quite profound.

‘The parents I’ve spoken to said their children are now starting to ask to not have the toys after hearing about William’s letter.’

William Weir, 7, wrote this letter to McDonald’s to tell them he will not be getting Happy Meals until they stop including plastic toys (Picture: Kennedy News)

The mum-of-two said she told children how damaging plastic toys are for the environment when they stopped playing with them.

Care home resident, 104, says visiting restrictions make her feel like she's in 'prison'

Carrie, a financial project lead, said: ‘They are very environmentally conscious around the house. They use re-usable bags, re-usable bottles and we avoid buying products that are covered in plastic.

‘After hearing about how milk was produced, William has drank oat milk since and even only has milk-free gelato.

‘They make their own decisions based on the facts. We allow them to choose things themselves.

‘If they say they want chicken or meat instead of vegetarian dish, that’s their choice.’

His mother thinks his actions are ‘profound’ (Picture: Kennedy News)

But a cut down on plastic toys is not the only change the eco-warrior has made in his life.

Carrie believes children only like the idea of the toys and in reality wouldn’t miss them if they were no longer included, or were not made from plastic.

Carrie said: ‘The toys often don’t work. The kids might look at them for 30 seconds but that would be it.

‘Kids only like the idea of them, but then they realise they are plastic rubbish and they don’t matter. There is not any use or value to them at all.

Poppy Appeal at risk as vulnerable sellers unable to fundraise due to coronavirus

‘McDonald’s could choose to say that if you choose not to have the toy, then 50p from every Happy Meal you buy without the toy will go towards cleaning up the oceans.

‘People would still buy the Happy Meals but not end up having to throw out a plastic toy that no one cares about.’

A McDonald’s spokesperson said the toys can be recycled or swapped for book vouchers.

They added: ‘We really appreciate William and Francesca getting in contact.

‘We would like to assure them that the reduction and use of plastics is a hugely important issue for our business. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and we can, and want to, be part of the solution – for example with our move from recyclable plastic straws to paper ones.’

Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.