– Biodegradable and returnable –
The collection of restaurants, snack stands, cafes and food trucks that will serve the delegates have been ordered to cut down on wasteful packaging.
By using biodegradable and returnable glasses and cups, two million plastic cups will be saved from the waste containers.
All cutlery will also be made from biodegradable materials, said Jean-Francois Camarty from catering firm Elior.
As you would expect, recycling bins will be situated throughout the site and electric-powered vehicles will pick up the waste.
With the organisers acutely aware of coming under scrutiny for “food miles”, “74 percent of the food products will be made in France” and where possible they will come from a 200-kilometre radius, Camarty said.
Ten thousand bread rolls will be baked on the site every day and any unsold meals will be donated to charity.
To reach the site, delegates are being urged to use public transport, and are being given free travel passes as an incentive.
The French national rail company SNCF has taken measures to transport an additional 70,000 people every day on the suburban rail line that links the centre of the capital with Le Bourget.
But at least one group is shunning the list of official hotels and opting for a truly “green” form of accommodation – a 100-strong French group of Young Ecologists have opted to pitch tents and camp during the conference.
They have joined the umbrella organisation, Coalition Climat 21, to criticise the organisers for failing to provide enough accommodation for the thousands of activists expected to demonstrate during the conference.
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