In two months time, McDonald’s will give customers the option to choose between a toy or a book with Happy Meals.

The same month, the company is due to carry out a five-week “toy amnesty” across the nation, asking for customers to return any unwanted plastic toys to restaurants.

McDonald’s will then recycle the plastic from the returned items to create play equipment for Ronald McDonald House Charities in the UK and Ireland.

Keith Kenny, vice president of McDonald’s Global Sustainability, stated that the fast food chain is “committed to sustainable sourcing and to exploring the production of more sustainable Happy Meal Toys”.

“We are excited to use learnings from these initiatives in the UK and Ireland and other market sustainability programmes to inform our global approach,” he added.

Last July, it was reported that a petition set up by two schoolgirls calling for McDonald’s and Burger King to axe plastic toys had amassed 400,000 signatures.

In September, McDonald’s and Burger King both announced the companies were pledging to cut down on plastic children’s toys.