It is time for the UN in New York to lead by example in the global efforts towards sustainability: starting in June, UNHQ will remove and replace single-use plastic.
Staff will start seeing changes over the coming weeks within the HQ complex, most apparent in the cafeteria facilities. Changes done centrally will include plastic bottle drinks replaced with glass and aluminium containers, plastic coffee lids with paper lids, and plastic food boxes with cardboard amongst others. To cover the cost of annual inflation and the conversion to the more sustainable alternative packaging, a price increase will take effect on 13 May 2019.
There are also steps that we, as staff members, can personally take as part of our commitment to reduce waste and to reduce costs.
Stainless steel and bamboo cutlery are available for purchase at all gift shops within the building; alternatively, you can bring your own cutlery and keep it with your personal belongings. Keeping a reusable water bottle can save around 200 plastic water bottles a year per person, the production of which takes around 500 litres of water and 25 litres of petroleum. Cafés in the building already offer a stamp card featuring a free coffee after you bring your own mug 10 times.
Many UN duty stations have already eliminated single-use plastics.
Building on the work already done by the Greening the Blue initiative in close coordination with CulinArt, UNHQ catering providers, we are focused on making our complex even more sustainable, through overall waste reduction requiring changes to our individual behaviour and reducing consumption of single-use plastics.