Plastic Free White Plains 

 #PlasticFreeWP is a sustainability initiative aimed to highlight businesses who have taken steps to reduce their usage of single-use plastics. This program will also help to highlight sustainable products and practices, so businesses and the public understand the importance of plastic reduction. #PlasticFreeWP is a completely voluntary program for businesses to join and pledge to reduce their usage of plastics. 

 This is a tiered certification program, where each business can pick which level most closely matches their current plastic reduction practices. Most businesses have already eliminated some types of plastics and won’t need to change anything to participate in the program!  

We would love to have your business join our #PlasticFreeWP program! By simply filling out the registration form, you can be part of this initiative and pledge to reduce plastic usage, helping to create a cleaner and more sustainable White Plains. 

Why is plastic reduction so important?
Plastic pollution is a global issue that has impacted every ecosystem on Earth. Plastics have been found everywhere from the bottom of the ocean to the top of Mount Everest. The growth of plastic production has grown exponentially in the last 65 years, and most of plastics that are produced are single-use and discarded incorrectly. Only about 9% of all plastics are actually recycled, meaning that most plastics end up in landfills or as pollution. This is a huge problem because plastics never fully go away, they only break down into smaller and smaller pieces that stay in the environment forever, so that plastic coffee cup you used for 30 minutes will be on Earth for thousands of years. It’s estimated that by 2050, 12 billion tons of plastics will be in landfills or the natural environment. 

 That’s where #PlasticFreeWP comes in. By taking small steps to reduce our plastic usage, we can help reduce the amount of plastics that enter landfills and the environment. Reducing plastics will also make our White Plains community cleaner and more sustainable. Plastic pollution in our area harms local wildlife, pollutes waterways and clutters the sewer system. Not to mention that nobody wants to see discarded plastics littering out streets! Every small action towards plastic reduction will help with the overall goal of reducing our dependency on plastics and reducing plastic waste. It starts with YOU!