SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The State University of New York (SUNY) campuses will phase out the use of single-use plastics, said John King, Chancellor, SUNY. The items to be phased out include bags, beverage bottles, food service products, utensils, plastic wrap and packaging films, he noted.
The higher education system will join hands with a public service platform to create a plastics-free solutions hub, which will offer resources aimed at achieving the goal. It must be noted that the SUNY Board of Trustees had passed a resolution in 2022 towards formulation of a task force comprising of students, staff and faculty, with the goal of eliminating single-use plastics.
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The SUNY ESF and SUNY New Paltz campuses have already taken important steps over the past several years to eliminate the impacts of plastics, including single-use plastics. These are part of its commitment to make their operations more sustainable, King said.
The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos urged New Yorkers to transition to reusable items whenever and wherever possible.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) statistics suggest that the U.S. produced more than 35 million tons of plastics in 2018, out of which only 8.7% were recycled.
