Today (5 June 2019), on World Environment Day, Canary Wharf Group has been awarded Plastic Free Communities Approved status by marine conservation charity Surfers against Sewage.
Canary Wharf is the first district in London to achieve this sought-after status and is the world’s first Plastic Free Commercial Centre to be recognised by Surfers against Sewage.
In June 2018, Canary Wharf Group launched the Breaking the Plastic Habit Programme to remove single-use plastic from the Estate.
In light of this programme over 1.2 million items of avoidable single-use plastic have been eliminated and over 4 million coffee cups have been recycled.
A new Sea Bin positioned in middle dock collects 30kg of plastic a month from the waterways at Canary Wharf.
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To reduce its plastic footprint and secure this accreditation, Canary Wharf Group committed to achieve targets across five key areas set out by Surfers Against Sewage.
These elements included acting with businesses and retailers to remove single use plastic, forging links with local communities and schools and holding events to raise awareness.
Canary Wharf Group also piloted the HELPFUL app, designed to help anyone at Canary Wharf to correctly recycle their waste, make the switch to reusable products to avoid single-use plastic and earn rewards at the same time.
Sir George Iacobescu, Chairman and Chief Executive, Canary Wharf Group, says: “Canary Wharf’s Breaking the Plastic Habit programme is part of our long term commitment to deliver a future that’s truly sustainable at Canary Wharf."
"Our programme is designed to act as a blueprint for behavioural change and prompt wider action towards a single-use plastic-free future. It is our hope that this forms part of Canary Wharf’s legacy for a sustainable city in which we transform our community and spark a wider, long-term change for the better; not just for now but for future generations.”