Hey Jamaica Plain!
Join us in creating a cleaner, healthier community by reducing plastic waste and embracing sustainable practices.
Did you know?
- Massachusetts is running out of landfill space and we are needing to send more away or incinerate it.
- Plastic is made of fossil fuels and chemicals. The petrochemical industry has turned to plastic to make up for the earnings that they are losing as we switch to sustainable forms of energy. So they are increasing their plastic production as fast as they can. If you made a piece of cling wrap with all the plastic that has ever been made, it could wrap the entire earth and then some
- Plastic doesn’t break up, it just breaks down into micro and nanoplastics. These small pieces have gotten into every organ of our body. Scientists are just starting to discover that these pieces of plastic and the chemicals clinging to them are doing to our health. It is linked to increasing cancer, neurodevelopmental problems, metabolic disarray, decreased fertility, and much more.
- 40 % of plastic now made is single use with us using it for an average of just 15 minutes.
- 75% of our clothes now have plastic, or synthetics, in them.
- Only 5% of plastic is recycled in the United States.
Above is all of the cups from our 24-hour downtown JP Waste Audit. With this snapshot, we estimate that JP is using about 500,000 disposable coffee cups a year.
Our Initiatives
- BYO – Bring your own coffee mugs, doggy bags, shopping bags, and veggie bags, etc. Reduce waste for the earth and reduce costs for businesses, which helps control costs for customers.
- Skip The Stuff – Do we really need a plastic fork with every to-go order? With Skip the Stuff, restaurants will only include condiments, utensils, straws, and napkins at the customer’s request. We will work with restaurants to reduce what goes in the to go orders.
- Switch To Reusable – Through a partnership with ReThink Disposable, a program of Clean Water Fund, we have funding to purchase reusable foodware for restaurants switching away from single-use for dine-in, and funding for a select few restaurants to launch with Recirclable, a service where customers can order their takeout in reusable containers at no cost.
- Reusable To-Go – We’re working with Recirclable, a reusable to-go company. Customers check out their to-go containers for free (as long as they return them) and can return them to any participating restaurant. The more restaurants that participate, the more successful the program will be.
- Beer Carrier Return: Most of the four top beer carriers do not get recycled if put in regular recycling. JP Zero Waste is working with Streetcar Wine and Beer and Blanchards to collect these and get them to Ecofriendlybeer.com to get these back to the brewers. And if they can’t be reused, they will be sent to a recycling facility that just deals with this type of plastic, ensuring it will get recycled.
Interested in being involved?
Take the Pledge
Take the pledge to bring your own coffee mug, bag, and utensils. Join us in the fight to make JP a cleaner place.
JP Zero Waste 