Bring Your Plastic Waste Reduction Program to the US

We all know that our world’s oceans are dying. Climate change and pollution are having a drastic toll on marine ecosystems and then, of course, there’s plastic. There’s always plastic. Soon there will be more of the non biodegradable material in our oceans than fish. It is a huge problem that we must solve.

One major company in the foodservice industry is stepping up to the plate to do their part.
Pret a Manger, the UK based sandwich shop and ready-to-go eatery, just launched a new scheme to cut back on plastic waste.

They have started installing water taps in several of their London based locations. The hope is customers will choose to refill their own water bottles with free filtered water and skip buying the plastic bottled option. And for those who don’t have one, the restaurant offers reusable glass bottles for purchase. This scheme, if successful could make a huge dent in the amount of plastic they put out in the world.

But why not spread the environmental love? Pret has several locations in the US, especially in NYC. By shipping their brilliant idea across the pond to American shores they could double their impact and set a great example for other restaurants that want to take steps to decrease their environmental footprint as well.

The world is addicted to plastic. The latest study reveals that the global community consumes around 1 million bottles per minute, 91 percent of them are never recycled. Just to produce the plastic requires millions and millions of barrels of oil and then consider just how many more barrels are used to ship them to the supermarket. The statistics are overwhelming and saddening.

But places like Pret a Manger are doing something about it. Let’s applaud their efforts to make a difference and ask them to do a little bit more by bringing their scheme across the pond and being an example for other restaurants as well. Sign the petition and let’s start a movement.