A Newport McDonalds was visited by the city's MP recently.

Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West, met with franchise owner Jane Blackwell at the fast food outlet on Cardiff Road.

Mrs Jones, who took her children to the restaurant when they lived in the Gaer, described her visit on April 29 as a "trip down memory lane."

During the meeting, she discussed McDonald's involvement in supporting their employees, serving the community and their clientele, with franchise owner Jane Blackwell, restaurant manager Ethan and other team leaders.

The popular restaurant chain employs approximately 800 people in Newport, including a large number of students who work part-time as they pursue their education.

While the purpose of the visit was to rekindle old memories, it also provided an opportunity for Mrs Jones, the shadow minister for environmental protection, to inquire about the fast food giant's waste management strategy.

She was pleased to find an efficient and user-friendly system.

Wales, which is ranked as the best in the UK and third globally in domestic recycling, holds a distinguished position, yet there's room for improvement.

In a bid to improve waste management, the Welsh Government recently enforced a law mandating all businesses to segregate their waste before disposal, similar to household methods.

McDonald's has already progressed in this aspect by replacing plastic straws with paper alternatives and intends to reduce kitchen and customer packaging by 20 per cent from 2020 figures by 2030.

They've further set a lofty goal to recycle, reuse or compost all restaurant waste by 2027.

Mrs Jones also discovered that the fast food outlet sources its supplies from vendors in Blackwood and Caerphilly, thus minimising its carbon footprint.

Mrs Jones happily shared her thoughts on her visit: "It was great to return to McDonald’s Cardiff Road in my role as the local MP and Labour’s shadow minister for environmental protection.

"We discussed a wide range of issues like supporting young staff, reducing waste in the restaurant and keeping our local community clean.

"I'd like to thank Jane and all of the team for a lovely reception and look forward to joining them on a litter pick soon."