Plastic-Free MKE is back to in-person meetings bringing together community members, individuals, coalition members, and everyone who wants to learn, connect, and take action on reducing unnecessary plastics in Milwaukee! Save the date for March 27th from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Urban Ecology Center - Riverside Branch, 1500 E. Park Pl. Laura Stevens, Resource Recovery Program Manager, from the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works will be presenting on recycling in Milwaukee followed by collective action activities. All are welcome and snacks will be provided!

Watch: Jane Muncke: "Perils of Plastic Packaging” - The Greatest Simplification 

Nate Higgins in an episode of The Greatest Simplification interviews Dr. Jane Muncke, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Food Packaging Forum Foundation where she works to improve and develop standards of organic food processing and packaging. In this episode, Dr. Muncke unpacks food production and the use of plastic packaging. Find out about the history of food packaging and how the Food Packaging Forum is looking into in the plastic industry. 

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Attend: Beyond Plastics - How NY is Holding Pepsi Accountable for Its Plastic Pollution - and Your State Can, Too

Join Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics President, and Dawn Henry, Beyond Plastics Senior Advisor, in a discussion about how to get your state to follow suit to New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, who sued PepsiCo for polluting the Buffalo River. Lemuel Srolovic, Chief of the Environmental Bureau of the New York Attorney General's Office will explain the suit and its significance. 

Register Here

Explore: Upstream's Library of Disposable Free Dining

Upstream in collaboration with a variety of organizations created an online library of infographics, articles, case studies, and information on the benefits of using reusable food ware. They highlight reusables over disposables and provide public access to all materials. You can download, print, and re-share these materials that are designed for business owners, advocates, governments, and elected officials. Check it out now!

Explore Here

‘It was a plague’: Killarney becomes first Irish town to ban single-use coffee cups

“Three months ago, Killarney became the first town in Ireland to phase out single-use coffee cups. If you want a takeaway coffee from a café or hotel, you must bring your own cup or pay a €2 deposit for a reusable cup that is returned when the cup is given back. The results are evident in bins, which now seldom overflow, and on streets and forest trails where it is rare to see abandoned cups."

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Aldi eliminates plastic shopping bags in US stores

"The German-based supermarket chain announced last week that the company has become the first major U.S. retailer to eliminate plastic shopping bags. “This will save over 4,400 tons (nearly nine million pounds) of plastic from circulation each year. That’s equivalent to 20 Lady Liberty statues!” Aldi’s CEO Jason Hart said in a news release."

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Plastic chemicals linked to $249 billion in US health care costs in 2018 alone, study finds

“'We’re talking about cancer. We’re talking about brain damage in young children. We’re talking about obesity and diabetes, heart disease and early deaths in adults,” Trasande said. “Right now, the United States is not considering the costs to its own population of industries which continue to produce and consume plastic in the US.'"

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“We’re Dying Here” The Fight for Life in a Louisiana Fossil Fuel Sacrifice Zone

"The prevalence of harm from the fossil fuel and petrochemical industry in Louisiana indicates that both state and federal authorities are failing to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights to life, health, access to information, and the right to freedom from discrimination on the basis of race."

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Outwoken Tea: Outwoken Tea is owned by Aureal Ojeda and has committed to reducing as much plastic as possible in the packaging of its tea products. Outwoken Tea partners with multiple organizations such as Milwaukee Riverkeeper, One Tree Planted, Native Energy, and CO2 Logic & South Pole. They dedicate a large amount of their time to being a zero-waste store even to the point of having compostable shipping labels! Outwoken Tea focuses on environmental sustainability to educate and spread awareness on how businesses can make a positive social impact through the resources they share. They are setting a great example for other businesses to follow in reducing their plastic waste and being active in their local communities.