Katy Newnham, director of POC partner organisation, Wastebuster, has been included in the UN’s anniversary exhibition of global stories.
As the UN marks its 80th anniversary, it is celebrating and spotlighting the people who are embodying its mission, reflecting on 80 years of global work. Over 200 people from all 193 UN Member States have been selected and included in an exhibition of the transformative power of the UN at the organisation’s headquarters in New York.
Millions of people worldwide have been positively impact by the United Nations work, and the exhibition titled UN@80 Shared Lives, Shared Future, will tell some of their stories, including of our very own Katy Newnham, director and guiding force of Wastebuster and its Recycle to Read programme, founded in partnership with Products of Change.
Katy comments on her inclusion in the project:
“I’m proud and grateful to be part of the UN@80 project. When faced with the huge and complex environmental challenges of our time, it can sometimes feel disheartening. But seeing how individuals everywhere are creating positive stories and taking action for what they believe in across the world gives me strength and hope. The recognition at UN level makes me feel heard — it’s a reminder that we all have a voice, and that every story matters, not just those in the exhibition.”
From humanitarian relief and education to development and sustainability, the exhibition presents real-life stories of individuals and communities whose lives have been transformed by the UN’s mission.
The exhibition shows how we can only tackle global challenges together – to build a healthier, safer, more prosperous world for everyone.
Organised by DGC with Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland, the exhibition can be viewed physically in the GA lobby, to see 24 highlighted stories until January 2026. All 200+ stories can also be explored online via the virtual exhibition, with even more new stories being added until the end of the year. The exhibition and its artwork will also be popping up in various physical locations globally, with participating organisations invited to showcase their own versions of the exhibition.
Katy Newnham has been working closely alongside POC for a number of years, hosting a sustainability in toys webinar workstream with us on our platform, as well as through the Wastebuster Recycle to Read programme.
Wastebuster is a children’s sustainability education platform, which has pioneered toy circularity programme, Recycle to Read, enabling children and parents to trade in their unwanted or broken hard plastic toys for book vouchers. With the support of Mattel, Tesco, and Products of Change, Recycle to Read is set to roll out in 166 Tesco stores in the UK, and support a significant cross-sector international research programme into the application of the principles of the circular economy to the toy industry.
An estimated 370 million toys were sold in the UK in 2018 but currently there are limited options for recycling broken plastic toys in the UK, and globally. The objective is to reduce the number of toys sent to landfill or incineration (without energy recovery), to engage and inform children about the science behind innovative plastic recycling, and to inspire the adoption of responsible consumer behaviours with compelling characters and entertainment for social change.
A key part of the Recycle to Read programme is to undertake research into finding new solutions for hard to recycle items, to maximise resource recovery and to showcase cutting-edge recycling technologies.
Congratulations, Katy, on all your continued work, and this recognition as part of the United Nations’ UN@80 Shared Lives, Shared Future exhibition.
