Plastic is used in almost every industry in our society: packaging, fashion, electronics, healthcare, automotive, food, telecommunications, construction, agriculture, and more. Plastics are energy and toxic chemical-intensive to produce and most of it is created to be disposed of after minimal usage. A lot of plastic waste ends up accumulating in our environment.

The purpose of this Project is to educate residents, local officials, institutions, and businesses in targeted areas of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont on which products contain plastics, their impacts on public health and the environment, how to avoid purchasing them, and commercially available safer alternatives. This Project developed 5 factsheets, an 8-page guide and held an outreach webinar, all of which are linked below, along with links to references.

Webinar

Access a PDF of the presentation slides & view the recording

Guide

Plastics in Food Service: Promoting Alternatives

Factsheets

 “The Problem with Plastic: Why Care About Reducing Plastic Use” Factsheet

“Plastics: Reduce and Reuse” Factsheet

“Plastic Recycling: Understanding the “Dos” & “Don’ts”” Factsheet

“Understanding Plastic Recycling in the Northeast Kingdom” Factsheet

“Understanding Plastic Recycling in the AVCOG Towns” Factsheet