“Has the world reached peak plastic? Nearly 13 million tons of plastic are dumped in the ocean each year. It is estimated that at this current pace there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050.

Single use plastics are commonly and increasingly being used in our school lunchrooms and that includes polystyrene trays! Polystyrene is not a good candidate for recycling, takes up a lot of space in the landfills and is harmful to watersheds and wildlife.

Fortunately, several new trends are encouraging reductions in plastic waste: “Consumers are starting to voice concerns, companies are taking steps to curb their use of virgin plastic, and there is growing momentum from some regulators,” says Jessica Alsford, head of Global Sustainability Research at Morgan Stanley.

The world-wide movement away from single use plastic and plastic waste in general will need significant coordinated efforts but it is achievable. This fall,  the European Parliament approved a ban on single-use plastics. The ban covers single-use plastics such as straws, plates, utensils, and cotton-swab sticks in Europe by 2021.

In North Carolina, parents, teachers, staff, and other concerned citizens can work with Every Tray Counts to reduce the single-use plastic problem by reducing the number of polystyrene trays used in school lunchrooms.

Have you checked out our School Kit For Composting yet?

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