McDonald’s has committed $5 million (£3.8m) to developing recyclable and compostable cups.

The fast food chain has joined Starbucks as a founding member of Closed Loop Partners’ NextGen Cup Consortium and Challenge, bringing the total funds dedicated to the scheme to $10 million (£7.6m).

The initiative kicks off in September and invites entrepreneurs, industry experts and recycling organisations to submit their ideas for sustainable alternatives to polluting, non-biodegradeable drinks holders.

Awardees will receive funding up to $1 million (£760,000) to accelerate their innovations, with up to seven of the awardees to enter a six-month accelerator programme to help scale their solutions.

Marion Gross, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer of McDonald’s US, said: “McDonald’s is committed to using our scale for good to make positive changes that impact our planet and the communities we serve.

“We are excited to join Starbucks and Closed Loop to help solve this pressing challenge as collaboration is key to finding a scalable, lasting global solution.”