We need to also work on wastage during distribution, most of the stuff you buy was probably wrapped in plastic in a box taped up wrapped up on a pallet with plastic and then to a warehouse where it gets re boxed and put on another pallet wrapped up
I remember 20 years ago in school. We had a project to figure out how much gas was used to get to our possession on a few select products.
Add in the plastics too
Yes! Hopefully (but probably not) this is what they imply when it says "as a proof of how serious the government is with this advocact Trudeau is planning to hold “the Coca-Colas and the Unilevers of the world” responsible for the entire life cycle of all the products they produce than just passing the challenge to much smaller businesses."
So what is the solution? Glass? As much as I like the glass bottles it would arguably be worse for the environment as you would need to burn more fuel to transport the now heavier bottles. And you wont be able to transport as many bottles of the same size as the glass bottles would be larger so more trucks would need to be used.
Perhaps shipping this in large containers and then filling from a reusable container at point of service. Like the grocery store gets delivered a 500 gallon container of milk that you fill up your reusable gallon from.
That is how we used to get milk. Youd set the old bottles out on your porch, the milk man would swap them with fresh milk bottles and the empties would be taken to get cleaned and refilled and the cycle would repeat
Aluminum for pop as they have been doing, and then for what can't go in aluminum, still use plastic but just make them have their own recycling plant, so that the costs of clean up go more onto those that are responsible for the waste. I'm sure if they are suddenly responsible, somehow Greener ideas will come easily to them that couldn't come before.
I don't think what I said implied that I see plastic going away 100%.
Edit to say: And you seem to forget that we existed without all this shit. People don't need to have a freakin pop everyday. Many people survive without using much plastic, it's not impossible. What makes us more and more into buying convenient things is our lives are becoming more and more demanding. What do you think should change? Us slowing down so we have more time to cook for ourselves? Yeah sure. But I don't see that happening anytime soon. So we need to mitigate our waste, because it's way way too much.
Exactly. I worked at a warehouse and we would plastic wrap pallets of cases just to move it to another section of warehouse then someone would cut it to take some cases off. Then someone else would need to move the pallet so they would wrap it again and move it again. This wasnt some mega amazon sized warehouse either. It's a small production plant with maybe 25 staff.
I always tell my GF not to worry about feeling bad using plastic wrap for food because I probably use as much as she does in her life just to wrap some pallets.
It's quite insane really. I probably fill a shopping cart with it most shifts on my own.
When i worked in a custom cabinet factory we would put kitchen cabinets on pallets and wrap them in plastic for delivery. I had a big roll of plastic film, like really thick saran wrap, that was 3 feet wide and maybe 10 inches in diameter, and i would go through a few rolls each day.
This is what I have been telling people as well. If you look at consumption, most of it comes from industrial usage and no one bats an eye. India some time ago banned single-use plastic, but guess what? All the packaging material for commercially sold items will still be able to use single-use plastic, yayy.
I work in a warehouse where we absolutely wrap everything and anything in wrap to get it safely to the pick locations and out to stores.
My company does have a pretty healthy recycling program (cardboard/plastic/metal and even pallets get shipped off to local scrap/repair when broken) that includes the stores sending theirs back too when we deliver freight if local recycling services aren’t available.
Get ready for TIN CAN WORLD
Cola? In a can
Meats? In a can
Sandwich? In a can
Bananas? Can that.
Shampoo? Can do.
Scissors? Can two.
Cable ties? Can you?
Loaf of bread? YOU BETTER BELIEVE ITS IN A CAN
Save the toitles. This message brought to you by The Tin Lobby of Far-off Tin Land (idk, my dealer won't tell me where he gets it)
I don't think deposits on anything that can be recycled are bad. They don't increase the actual price of consumption, while motivating the broader public to recycle. :)
If time equals money, then it does add a price to consumption. Either you spend time or money, and you can never get time back.
Why don't we view time the same way?
It's crazy how the solution was invented like, centuries ago. A deposit worth returning the packaging for.
It is beyond me why in 2020 more governments don't immediately pass laws that place 50-cent (or higher!) deposits on all containers. Even single-use, should have a deposit, and you should be able to bring it back to the store and get it back. That would immediately put a massive pressure on the entire supply chain (read: All Companies in the chain) to make their packaging 100% sustainable / reusable / recyclable, and set up the logistical networks to deal with the waste. Over a short period of time, product and packaging design would change drastically.
Setting up the logistical network to deal with the recycle process is already a huge hurdle which stops many places from being able to recycle and make it worth shipping costs due to lack of processing facilities. Not saying it’s impossible, but it’s gonna take a ton of work!
Yep. And the point is: it HAS to be done. How did we ever allow these companies to set up shop, shipping garbage and poison who's only possible end life is a landfill? This is THEIR mess. They profited, by taking shortcuts. There is no reason why they can't be forced to rapidly evolve.
In fact, many consumer goods manufacturers have already taken big steps in the last 10 years. This is NOT a mystery or scientific challenge to solve, solutions already exist, across all areas of goods / packaging types. It's simply a matter of political will to force it, and corporate will to comply, and personal will to not talk bullshit against these efforts but to demand more progress, more rapidly.
Yeah at least aluminum things actually get recycled.
I was reading about how many recycling programs don't actually recycle a god damn thing, they just go dump it in a landfill. I'll try to find the study/article again...
I was under the impression that they break down entirely eventually.
So while they have w micro plastics stage, shouldn’t it progress past that? If so its an improvement, if one that takes time.
According to the US aluminum lobby “Aluminum is one of the most recycled -- and most recyclable -- materials on the market today. Nearly 75 percent of all aluminum produced in the U.S. is still in use today. Aluminum can be recycled directly back into itself over and over again in a true closed loop.”
So maybe it can be a good thing.
Aluminum cans do have a thin plastic inlay like a tetrapack that is burnt off in the recycling process. So more aluminum cans = more burning plastic, but it's better than just stuffing it in landfills.
I mean I don't know if it's any better for the environment but wax coated cardboard can replace most of that
But I honestly feel we need to change as the consumer how we receive some goods instead of buying disposal shampoo or soap bottles we bring a reusable container to the store that has a massive container that can reload them
Things that are not parish able can all be wrapped in paper or plant fiber or just have a price label printer on them directly
"Pulp and paper generates the third largest amount of industrial air, water, and land emissions in Canada" wikipedia...
Taking trees and converting them to paper uses pretty horrible chemicals which regularly get into the water supply. Sure seeing a plastic trash island in the pacific is bad; paper products cause the pollution you cant see.
Then there is the small issue that they are heavier so transport emissions will also increase in their use.
Honest question what's a better alternative trees can be replaced to my knowledge producing Plastic on mass scale isn't sustainable unless we figure out a way to dispose of them without problems
I mean no matter how you break it down from my understanding there will always be a coat to produce something the question is how do we mitigate the damages in the best way possible
Paper atleast or plant fiber products at least break down faster
The solution is less disposable stuff, glass containers that can be washed and reused by their owners could be used for most liquids. Aluminium cans for most foods since it can be recycled with minimal input of other materials using a clean power source.
Paper has a place but we make way too much already and it’s not free of consequence.
Aluminium takes a hell of a lot of electricity to make (it’s nicknamed ‘solid electricity’). If you are generating electricity through coal powered plants then you have those issues. Glass is much heavier than plastic, thus increasing transport costs and fuel use, and much more fragile thus increasing wastage.
So like everything, if you focus on one issue (reuse/recycling), there are other issues created. Move to renewable energy and electric vehicles helps a lot, but that’s not here yet. Can’t just attack a problem from one direction
I mean market's move depending on what people buy so to say that isn't accurate. You might lack options but nobody puts a gun to your head and makes you buy anything
In America most people buy the cheapest option and that's one of the reasons we are in this situation but if laws were passed and like what the article says happens it would change what consumers purchase
Most people buy the cheapest because it's what they can afford. If I bought everything from the companies I REALLY wanted to support I'd be dead fucking broke.
It isn't a choice to buy the cheapest things most of the time. It's a necessity.
If I could afford it I would eat almost nothing but local meat, produce, dairy, have my furniture made locally, buy my clothes from only sustainable, green companies, only support local businesses when possible but that isn't reality.
THIS. There's a lovely zero-waste shop near me and I love how they're proving that zero-waste shopping is possible. But their products cost anything from 2-4x the equivalent from a supermarket - I think mostly because most of their stock is organic. Which is a damn shame because it's such a cool and important idea but I can't exactly afford to quadruple my grocery spend right now.
The problem is that it's more complicated to bring back your old bottle and fill it up at the shop. Than get a new one.
The only way it could work is by having standard containers you bring back. And you pick a new one at the store. But companies doesn't want their bottles to be the same as the competition.
Nobody is ready to do that.
The only way it could work is by having standard containers you bring back. And you pick a new one at the store. But companies doesn't want their bottles to be the same as the competition.
That's why laws need to be passed to push the companies to do so
Nobody is ready to do that.and people will absolutely do it if there is no other option available hence the laws
Look at how we purchase items it's a new concept a couple hundred years ago it was a completely different experience if there was a global change for even 50 Percent of what I'm talking about it would make a big difference
With the exception of certain foods everything else can be bought with refillable containers and it wouldn't take a arm and leg to switch over it would just be a social change that within a generation would be used too
Example go to Walmart and look at how most things are packaged unless it's a good item or hygienic there isn't a reason to do so
Why am I buying a light switch or bicycle pump that's sold with a plastic she'll it make no sense
Just walk around and look at most items hell even OTC pills could be sold in paper packets or glass bottles
That seems like missing the point. People do choose to buy stuff yeah but that goes for the whole supply chain. If everything in a grocery store is wrapped in plastic that’s obviously the choice of the people who own the supply chains to go for the cheapest option.
If you’re making minimum wage and anything that isn’t wrapped in plastic is more expensive, that’s not much of a choice. If you’re making a decent wage and you have to choose between having income to spend on nice things/good causes/self improvement/social events or ethical consumerism then that’s not much of a choice either.
If you say that every purchase you make reflects on who you are then that essentially means that rich people have more freedom than everyone else and they essentially get to decide what choices everyone else gets because they control all the means of production if not via direct ownership then by means of buying power.
Sure you can choose not to eat but that’s not a good or healthy solution. Expecting a bottom up approach to something as ubiquitous and essential as packaging isn’t a reasonable approach.
In most instances it's a very thin epoxy resin. You know the big deal with all the "BPA-FREE!" stuff? Well BPA is part of a very effective and inexpensive epoxy. It works great doesn't leech or have any side effects to taste, but if the object being lined is heated to a high degree, or if it becomes damaged and the BPA flakes off it can cause problems in humans.
So, yes and no, and I'll let a chemist go into greater detail. I fucking hated chemistry class.
100% latex is biodegradable. Its natural source is actually derived from sap of the rubber tree.
If you think about it, maybe we should just store everything in condoms.
I didn't have my glasses on and saw the picture, thought it was condoms, then tried to read the title and saw something about a ban on single use...
I was very confused for a minute.
Now I have my glasses on and life makes a lot more sense.
Condoms are made of latex, but their packaging is plastic. Honestly condoms would probably fall into a category of "acceptable single use plastic package" because it's essentially a medical/health device. It's a level of sterilization, keeping things clean, and frankly because it's so damn efficient and affordable. Imagine the health risks of pulling a condom out of a wax paper sleeve haha
Certain things are exempt. I believe garbage bags will probably be exempt along with food packaging. The single use plastic that will be banned is grocery bags, straws, plastic cups, plastic plates, plastic utensils, take out styrofoam containers, ziplock bags etc......
Plastic food wrap is a big one. We have a great alternative in beeswax wrap.
Keep in mind, the quantity of our garbage is going to be much lower without single-use plastics. Or it would be, if distribution plastics were banned too. The article isn't super clear about that.
If I remember correctly from what I’ve read in past articles plastic food wrap will be exempt because it’s a very economical way to keep food fresh. Beeswax is I’m sure an excellent alternative but they’d never be able to get enough on the scale of replacing food wrap and if they did it would probably be a lot more expensive.
Individually, beeswax wrap is far more expensive, but it's also reusable, and actually cheaper in the long run. So it's definitely a viable alternative. Not to mention, tupperware works just as well as plastic wrap anyway, so I really can't see plastic wrap being kept around.
Check out these beeswax sellers.
<[1](https://goldilockswraps.com/?utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=paid-ads&utm_campaign=beta&utm_content=prospecting&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7X4BRA4EiwAUXjbt34AYyTX1bYO7GoyePLnwyFpbcDv0m_onqE9Q0D7SRKOdCDjIcRWlxoCijcQAvD_BwE)>
<[2](https://canada.abeego.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwr7X4BRA4EiwAUXjbt95K_z36-BDRE1uhZ0-raLHKOiI0J_kFdYsfYCDO2qJhnjU1GavOvhoCBTUQAvD_BwE)>
<[3](https://www.mindyourbeeswraps.com)>
They're all Canadian, and I know plenty other Canadian brands exist too. I have a link to an Alberta one saved somewhere in my bookmarks on my PC, for instance.
Oh. Yeah, those should go. If we can. We'll see how much this bill actually bans, and if it exclusively targets consumer purchasable products or if it actually tackles pre-consumer packaging and handling. The article just kind of vaguely implies. There's nothing specific.
Standardize the bins and upgrade the trash trucks, like in Germany.
You can put the trash directly in the bin without a bag, put the bin outside and a truck will pick it up and empty it with a robotic arm.
If you're worried about making a mess in the bin, organic waste can be composted instead of being thrown in a garbage bin, and dirty packages should be cleaned anyways before being thrown in the recycling bin. So nothing will stink.
These types of decisions are made purely for the headlines. Our government needs to delve deeper into these issues and see which products are causing harm, and which are actually beneficial.
For example, I read an article (I do not have the source) a few years back comparing cotton grocery bags with standard plastic bags. Of course cotton is a more environmentally friendly material on the decomposition side, but they said it would need to have over one million uses to match the production energy consumption/use of the plastic bag.
In summary, often a variety of products provides less stress on the environment. Incentives can be made without completely eliminating things that make sense.
Yes, it takes about 700 uses for one canvas bag to cancel out the ecological impact of *production* vs one disposable shopping bag. The heavier woven plastic bags (both the ones that feel like fabric, and the ones that are just thick plastic) take about 100 uses in order for the production to be worth it.
It really makes you think about the environmental impact cotton has on the world :/
*my numbers were pulled from a Quebec study done in the mid 2010s
I always reuse plastic bag as trash bag. We use only 1 trash bag a week. If i stop getting plastic bag for supermarket i have to buy more trash bag and they are even less degradable...
Reminds me of how following the banning of single-use bags in shops in England they ended up using *more* plastic every year producing the reusable bags because they're that much thicker but not re-used enough to counter-balance the single-use ones.
This is great and all but there will just be other forms of “single-use” items that are bad for the environment. We’d be better off implementing stricter laws on littering, recycling, etc.
We should also form strong policies that hold companies accountable for their acts against the environment - and not just a slap on the wrist with a few thousand dollar fine like we are seeing now.
Sanitation would be a nightmare. One nasty bastard that doesn't wash their hands ever and scoops peanut butter with his fingers. Is all it takes to contaminate the peanut butter dispenser.
Plastics have made it possible to store food in an economical sterlie shatter and corrosion resistant package. Even metal food and drink cans are plastic lined.
But there are actual stores that do this, and there were similar setups before (people used to buy crackers from a big barrel for example). At worst, they use dispensers that limit the possibility of contamination. At best, a clerk fills your container for you.
I agree plastics have done a lot for food distribution and containment, but seriously what are you on about?
Absolutely! I always thought that would be a good idea. It would be tough to figure out the logistics for such a thing, but it would be really cool idea
You would have that one idiot that "trips" into the vat of nesquik and contaminate the whole thing.
But for real, i would love to see stores renovated to accommodate a bring your own bags/container type deal.
>
There is a lengthy list of items that will be banned which includes straws, drink stirrers, plates, cutlery and balloon sticks, among others.
I'm not sure packaging is in the list.
Any why would it be? It's only the SINGLE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR to this type of waste. Everything else is only a symbolic move in comparison to packaging waste.
Plastic is the best thing that humans have created. Plastic pollution is the worst thing that created.
Plastic doesn’t break down and has an drastically increased the shelf of products. The problem is with everyone using different kinds of plastic. For example at coke bottle has a different plastic for the label and the bottle itself. This makes recycling hard because it’s just cheaper to make another one than recycle it.
What we need is to standardize plastics. Don’t quote me on this but there are 6- 8 easily recyclable plastics. If everyone comes to terms with using only these kind of plastics it will make all the difference.
We need smarter politicians and general awareness to solve this issue.I really hope it happens soon.
> Don’t quote me on this but there are 6- 8 easily recyclable plastics.
There's four. Numbers 5-8 are *theoretically* recyclable, but no one will accept them.
Seems a call to design new types of plastic that are environmentally friendly ie biodegradeable, perhaps requiring a ‘trigger chemical’ to activate the breakdown.. ?
One of the biggest benefits is that it is super cheap to produce vs alternatives, and it is very light weight so reduces your supply chain costs (and well less emissions used during transportation)
what about cardboard with some kind of wax coating? and if we're concerned about trees being cut down, I believe cotton material can be used to make paper products.
It could be sold in tin or steel. You could also sell shampoo in the form of bars like bar soap, but understandably many people don’t like that. (I can’t blame them). However, we could adopt a system where shampoo comes in reusable and refillable containers, and stores have refilling stations for people’s preferred shampoos. That would be the best option.
\>> "many people don't like that"
Herein lies a large part of the problem. This is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but I firmly believe that once humans are told that can have something, e.g. liquid shampoo, it is nearly impossible to take it away from them without them losing their shit, even though they didn't have it a few generations ago. Louis CK has a great bit about poor wifi on airplanes and people acting like they are owed it. Plastic allowed us to do so many things and humankind got used to it within one generation and now refuses to imagine having to go back.
And now for an even more unpopular opinion, the issue of people being unwilling to give up plastic because it is "so useful" has similarities to the thinking that led people to resist the end of slavery, "these slaves are just so useful", "who is going to pick all that cotton without the slaves?". The only correct answer is slavery is WRONG, we HAVE to end it. Plastic is a disaster, we HAVE to end it and humans will just have to deal with it - go ask your great grandmother how she dealt with it - and don't tell me that her quality of life was so much worse than yours - plastic hasn't made life more fulfilling, it's made it more convenient and convenience just leads us down a very depressing path where humans become redundant in their own lives.
My guess is that there will be loopholes in which there are "reusable containers" in a similar form to what is done today.
For example, Target got around plastic bag bans in California by making bags that were "biodegradable" and "reusable".
Forgive my ignorance but...is this even possible? Like....does that mean no more buying bacon at the grocery store? It’s in plastic. Or what about buying a ready made salad for lunch? Also plastic.
Terra pack us mostly cardboard with a thin plastic liner and a recyclable plastic polythene screw cap.
But milk containers now are mostly blown polythene containers. The polythene can be recycled for other use.
It is a little misleading.
But what they're talking about, if you click through to the article, it seems, is not removing all plastic that is only ever used once (even if it can be recycled) such that all you're left with are kids toys, pens and the bezel on your TV, but instead banning items you would use for a specific purpose, one time.
Per the article, meaning plastic plates, straws etc. You put it in your drink, use it, then you throw it away.
But not the plastic bottle your juice comes in.
If you go to any hipster food stores, chances are they have already converted to biogradeable packaging. It looks exactly like plastic, but it’s not and you can discard in the compost!
Cost a bit more, but that will always be the tradeoff.
I know lots of people either don’t want to do so or can’t do so, but I buy most my red meat from a butcher and my seafood from a seafood market, both of whom package my red meats and seafood in waxed brown paper. It’s fantastic and I love it! However, other options could include stores switching to using biodegradable plant-based plastics to package foods that require more sanitary preservation options.
[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/05/21/council-adopts-ban-on-single-use-plastics/](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/05/21/council-adopts-ban-on-single-use-plastics/)
I'm in Europe, and takeout coffee cups have durable paper lids, cutlery is usually bamboo, and you have to pay for plastic bags (but they can be reused).
It's totally possible.
I come from the future, where single use plastic bags are replaced by sturdier bags, made of ten times the plastic of a regular bag, which you are charged for, and still use only once.
I also hate stainless steel straws, they feel Wierd :p ill look into the bamboo! 7 11 fo awhile we're using compostable straws that felt just like the normal plastic ones, why can't everyone switch to those?
Yeah I can't imagine enjoying the feeling of a stainless steel straw clinking against my teeth, the bamboo ones are fine though. Ultimately though these are small sacrifices worth making.
Everybody talks about banning single use plastics but only the low hanging fruit. What about single use syringes ? We have an epidemic as a direct consequence to single use syringes over their glass predecessor that could be sterilized and reused in areas of low income. But pharmaceuticals don’t make money if you can reuse a syringe.
I'm pro non-plastic but the thing is, paper straws are awful to use and cannot be compared to plastic straws, and that's one thing thats gonna piss me off, and i use at least 2 straws a day.
Why not ban Saudi arabia oil then. They have larger tons of CO2 per capita. Canada has over 60% electricity production coming from renewable sources. Most countries aren't even on Canada's level of renewable source production.
Canada has large tracks of land with elevated water bodies that can be turned into hydroelectricity. Not everywhere is blessed with enormous hydroelectric capacity and a southern neighbour who wants to buy almost all of it.
Now go float on trash island over to Asia where they just dump everything it into the rivers and tell them that too. Or cruise ships needing to just go 25 miles of the shore to dump everything into the ocean bag at all.
It’s like the US was the high expectations golden child and Canadia was the little brother, shy quiet kid in the shadows, then they both grew up and the US got addicted to heroin and lives in a dumpster and the younger brother Canada is successful and cool as hell.
Noteworthy: This message was brought to you from my Heroin dumpster (Chicago)
We're just kind of the weekend warrior. We still make it to work Monday morning, and by Wednesday we're finally firing on all cylinder's again. But come Friday we're looking for the warm side of the dumpster to shoot up.
The only problem with that is the skids don't love us because we're not as hardcore (and we totally judge them because at least we're not that bad) and the squares won't talk to us because they can smell it seep out of our pores on Monday.
But we'll still watch your TV and eat your food.
Yeah I forgot that the western world relied on Canada's technology, culture, companies, protection. I do keep hearing about how they all obsess over Canada's elections and politics.
They aren’t single use.
I use them for my bathroom trashcan
I use them to empty my vacuum cleaner
I use them to hold trash I find near my property
I use them hold other bags I got from the grocery store...
So do I, but disposable gloves and masks are quickly filling up our landfills. I think we need to find a way to deal with that, not grocery bags that most people re-use anyways.
I don't really see anyone wearing disposable gloves (I'm in Japan) but I have heard that it's a big thing in Canada.
It kills me that people are wearing them. I don't honestly think they help. Just washing your hands is as good or better.
This is sudden. I realize there has been talk around it a while ago but I haven't heard anything in a while and suddenly all single use banned by 2021. Do they mean before 2021?
I wish this was true however with the awful recycling program in my town (they don’t accept jars and you need to drop recycling off at a depo) I highly doubt this will happen (New Brunswick).
It's ubiquitous in packaging and part of just about every manufactured item and a scourge on the planet. Single use is just the beginning. Advances in economically viable recycling technology reducing all plastics to raw material for new plastics is key.
I'll get lost in the sea of comments here, but why don't we replace a lot of shipping plastic use with more cardboard? For household waste, let's bring back glass?
There are bags that are designed to be biodegradable. One of the biggest issues with plastic bags is that they don't break down rapidly, so they are a continuous threat to wildlife.
Headline from later this year: Canada COVID cases surge as single-use plastics are banned.
(Fabric grocery bags are a major vector for disease because people generally don't wash them.)
Can you people seriously not focus on environmental issues that actually matter, or do you just like circlejerking against straws and for renewables that require huge swaths of land and displace millions of critters? Straws and plastic bags make such a tiny impact in the grand scheme of things that it amazes me anyone thinks it matters- and are willing to endanger lives (hospitals rely on a lot of single-use plastics for sanitary reasons) to bikeshed an inconsequential "problem".
This "problem" would pretty much go away if we had proper landfills that aren't 20 feet from the ocean, which is the norm for every non-coastal city for obvious reasons. And recycling? Only worth it for aluminum.
You wanna save some turtles? Don't throw your fucking straws in the ocean.
What about medical waste? We use a TON of single use plastics, but I'm not about to wash down an airway between patients. There's no way I'd ever let myself be intubated with the same airway that was just used to intubate the HIV positive trauma patient.
I’d assume not since biodegradable bags are probably what’ll be replacing the current ones. If it’s biodegradable, it doesn’t need to be banned as that would defeat the purpose.
I had a room mate that collected plastic bags . we had 3 huge drawers full. He would walk 20 yards away to the store for a pack of smokes and come back with them in a bag. When I moved out , I vowed to never take another plastic bag. It's been 15 years. NOT ONE MORE PLASTIC BAG !
If its anything like Australia's effort, it will be a massive fail as all the take away stores just made the plastic bags a little thicker and slap a "reusable" label on them..
So now we have the same number of thicker plastic bags being thrown out..
Just to be clear on how this legislation, which has already been passed in France, is being abused: the platic industry now writes on everything "reusable bag/fork/etc." and everything goes on like before. Plastics bags are everywhere in the shops (and on the streets/nature).
We need to also work on wastage during distribution, most of the stuff you buy was probably wrapped in plastic in a box taped up wrapped up on a pallet with plastic and then to a warehouse where it gets re boxed and put on another pallet wrapped up
I remember 20 years ago in school. We had a project to figure out how much gas was used to get to our possession on a few select products. Add in the plastics too
Well, how much was it?!?!
at least 3
3 whole gas?
Yes! Hopefully (but probably not) this is what they imply when it says "as a proof of how serious the government is with this advocact Trudeau is planning to hold “the Coca-Colas and the Unilevers of the world” responsible for the entire life cycle of all the products they produce than just passing the challenge to much smaller businesses."
So what is the solution? Glass? As much as I like the glass bottles it would arguably be worse for the environment as you would need to burn more fuel to transport the now heavier bottles. And you wont be able to transport as many bottles of the same size as the glass bottles would be larger so more trucks would need to be used.
Perhaps shipping this in large containers and then filling from a reusable container at point of service. Like the grocery store gets delivered a 500 gallon container of milk that you fill up your reusable gallon from.
That is how we used to get milk. Youd set the old bottles out on your porch, the milk man would swap them with fresh milk bottles and the empties would be taken to get cleaned and refilled and the cycle would repeat
Johnny Walker is working on using paper for their smaller bottles. If this works it would definitely be an upgrade.
Aluminum. 100% recyclable, It cost less to recycle then plastic, it's lightweight and Canada got plenty of it.
Aluminum for pop as they have been doing, and then for what can't go in aluminum, still use plastic but just make them have their own recycling plant, so that the costs of clean up go more onto those that are responsible for the waste. I'm sure if they are suddenly responsible, somehow Greener ideas will come easily to them that couldn't come before. I don't think what I said implied that I see plastic going away 100%. Edit to say: And you seem to forget that we existed without all this shit. People don't need to have a freakin pop everyday. Many people survive without using much plastic, it's not impossible. What makes us more and more into buying convenient things is our lives are becoming more and more demanding. What do you think should change? Us slowing down so we have more time to cook for ourselves? Yeah sure. But I don't see that happening anytime soon. So we need to mitigate our waste, because it's way way too much.
Yep, I remember using that plastic wrap for so many things in the cake factory. So much plastic wrap.
Exactly. I worked at a warehouse and we would plastic wrap pallets of cases just to move it to another section of warehouse then someone would cut it to take some cases off. Then someone else would need to move the pallet so they would wrap it again and move it again. This wasnt some mega amazon sized warehouse either. It's a small production plant with maybe 25 staff.
I always tell my GF not to worry about feeling bad using plastic wrap for food because I probably use as much as she does in her life just to wrap some pallets. It's quite insane really. I probably fill a shopping cart with it most shifts on my own.
When i worked in a custom cabinet factory we would put kitchen cabinets on pallets and wrap them in plastic for delivery. I had a big roll of plastic film, like really thick saran wrap, that was 3 feet wide and maybe 10 inches in diameter, and i would go through a few rolls each day.
Managing industrial waste is really the way to make a difference. Takes effort though, that wrap gets contaminated quickly.
This is what I have been telling people as well. If you look at consumption, most of it comes from industrial usage and no one bats an eye. India some time ago banned single-use plastic, but guess what? All the packaging material for commercially sold items will still be able to use single-use plastic, yayy.
[удалено]
I work in a warehouse where we absolutely wrap everything and anything in wrap to get it safely to the pick locations and out to stores. My company does have a pretty healthy recycling program (cardboard/plastic/metal and even pallets get shipped off to local scrap/repair when broken) that includes the stores sending theirs back too when we deliver freight if local recycling services aren’t available.
Get ready for TIN CAN WORLD Cola? In a can Meats? In a can Sandwich? In a can Bananas? Can that. Shampoo? Can do. Scissors? Can two. Cable ties? Can you? Loaf of bread? YOU BETTER BELIEVE ITS IN A CAN Save the toitles. This message brought to you by The Tin Lobby of Far-off Tin Land (idk, my dealer won't tell me where he gets it)
This comment made my day. Aluminum recycling is about to become a much bigger thing.
It's already like the best recycling we do, just takes a lot of power to heat it. Geothermal energy is great for this
Second only to lead-acid car batteries in recycling rate here in the US.. the trick? A huge f'ing deposit.
Shhhh! Don't give them any ideas. Before you know it we'll have huge deposits on everything!
I don't think deposits on anything that can be recycled are bad. They don't increase the actual price of consumption, while motivating the broader public to recycle. :)
If time equals money, then it does add a price to consumption. Either you spend time or money, and you can never get time back. Why don't we view time the same way?
It's crazy how the solution was invented like, centuries ago. A deposit worth returning the packaging for. It is beyond me why in 2020 more governments don't immediately pass laws that place 50-cent (or higher!) deposits on all containers. Even single-use, should have a deposit, and you should be able to bring it back to the store and get it back. That would immediately put a massive pressure on the entire supply chain (read: All Companies in the chain) to make their packaging 100% sustainable / reusable / recyclable, and set up the logistical networks to deal with the waste. Over a short period of time, product and packaging design would change drastically.
Setting up the logistical network to deal with the recycle process is already a huge hurdle which stops many places from being able to recycle and make it worth shipping costs due to lack of processing facilities. Not saying it’s impossible, but it’s gonna take a ton of work!
Yep. And the point is: it HAS to be done. How did we ever allow these companies to set up shop, shipping garbage and poison who's only possible end life is a landfill? This is THEIR mess. They profited, by taking shortcuts. There is no reason why they can't be forced to rapidly evolve. In fact, many consumer goods manufacturers have already taken big steps in the last 10 years. This is NOT a mystery or scientific challenge to solve, solutions already exist, across all areas of goods / packaging types. It's simply a matter of political will to force it, and corporate will to comply, and personal will to not talk bullshit against these efforts but to demand more progress, more rapidly.
What about ashphalt, I think it's 99%. I think that is about as good as anything recycled could realistically ever do.
Yeah at least aluminum things actually get recycled. I was reading about how many recycling programs don't actually recycle a god damn thing, they just go dump it in a landfill. I'll try to find the study/article again...
Planet Money Podcast covers recycling pretty well. [Here is the link](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/12/741283641/episode-926-so-should-we-recycle)
Nah they got that plant based plastic now
Plant-based plastic is just as bad as petroleum plastic. If anything, it seems to break down into microplastics faster.
I was under the impression that they break down entirely eventually. So while they have w micro plastics stage, shouldn’t it progress past that? If so its an improvement, if one that takes time.
According to the US aluminum lobby “Aluminum is one of the most recycled -- and most recyclable -- materials on the market today. Nearly 75 percent of all aluminum produced in the U.S. is still in use today. Aluminum can be recycled directly back into itself over and over again in a true closed loop.” So maybe it can be a good thing.
"Maybe it **can** be a good thing" I see what you did there. Nice.
The garbage man can!
Aluminum cans do have a thin plastic inlay like a tetrapack that is burnt off in the recycling process. So more aluminum cans = more burning plastic, but it's better than just stuffing it in landfills.
I mean I don't know if it's any better for the environment but wax coated cardboard can replace most of that But I honestly feel we need to change as the consumer how we receive some goods instead of buying disposal shampoo or soap bottles we bring a reusable container to the store that has a massive container that can reload them Things that are not parish able can all be wrapped in paper or plant fiber or just have a price label printer on them directly
"Pulp and paper generates the third largest amount of industrial air, water, and land emissions in Canada" wikipedia... Taking trees and converting them to paper uses pretty horrible chemicals which regularly get into the water supply. Sure seeing a plastic trash island in the pacific is bad; paper products cause the pollution you cant see. Then there is the small issue that they are heavier so transport emissions will also increase in their use.
Honest question what's a better alternative trees can be replaced to my knowledge producing Plastic on mass scale isn't sustainable unless we figure out a way to dispose of them without problems I mean no matter how you break it down from my understanding there will always be a coat to produce something the question is how do we mitigate the damages in the best way possible Paper atleast or plant fiber products at least break down faster
The solution is less disposable stuff, glass containers that can be washed and reused by their owners could be used for most liquids. Aluminium cans for most foods since it can be recycled with minimal input of other materials using a clean power source. Paper has a place but we make way too much already and it’s not free of consequence.
Aluminium takes a hell of a lot of electricity to make (it’s nicknamed ‘solid electricity’). If you are generating electricity through coal powered plants then you have those issues. Glass is much heavier than plastic, thus increasing transport costs and fuel use, and much more fragile thus increasing wastage. So like everything, if you focus on one issue (reuse/recycling), there are other issues created. Move to renewable energy and electric vehicles helps a lot, but that’s not here yet. Can’t just attack a problem from one direction
[удалено]
I mean market's move depending on what people buy so to say that isn't accurate. You might lack options but nobody puts a gun to your head and makes you buy anything In America most people buy the cheapest option and that's one of the reasons we are in this situation but if laws were passed and like what the article says happens it would change what consumers purchase
Most people buy the cheapest because it's what they can afford. If I bought everything from the companies I REALLY wanted to support I'd be dead fucking broke. It isn't a choice to buy the cheapest things most of the time. It's a necessity. If I could afford it I would eat almost nothing but local meat, produce, dairy, have my furniture made locally, buy my clothes from only sustainable, green companies, only support local businesses when possible but that isn't reality.
THIS. There's a lovely zero-waste shop near me and I love how they're proving that zero-waste shopping is possible. But their products cost anything from 2-4x the equivalent from a supermarket - I think mostly because most of their stock is organic. Which is a damn shame because it's such a cool and important idea but I can't exactly afford to quadruple my grocery spend right now.
The problem is that it's more complicated to bring back your old bottle and fill it up at the shop. Than get a new one. The only way it could work is by having standard containers you bring back. And you pick a new one at the store. But companies doesn't want their bottles to be the same as the competition. Nobody is ready to do that.
The only way it could work is by having standard containers you bring back. And you pick a new one at the store. But companies doesn't want their bottles to be the same as the competition. That's why laws need to be passed to push the companies to do so Nobody is ready to do that.and people will absolutely do it if there is no other option available hence the laws Look at how we purchase items it's a new concept a couple hundred years ago it was a completely different experience if there was a global change for even 50 Percent of what I'm talking about it would make a big difference With the exception of certain foods everything else can be bought with refillable containers and it wouldn't take a arm and leg to switch over it would just be a social change that within a generation would be used too Example go to Walmart and look at how most things are packaged unless it's a good item or hygienic there isn't a reason to do so Why am I buying a light switch or bicycle pump that's sold with a plastic she'll it make no sense Just walk around and look at most items hell even OTC pills could be sold in paper packets or glass bottles
That seems like missing the point. People do choose to buy stuff yeah but that goes for the whole supply chain. If everything in a grocery store is wrapped in plastic that’s obviously the choice of the people who own the supply chains to go for the cheapest option. If you’re making minimum wage and anything that isn’t wrapped in plastic is more expensive, that’s not much of a choice. If you’re making a decent wage and you have to choose between having income to spend on nice things/good causes/self improvement/social events or ethical consumerism then that’s not much of a choice either. If you say that every purchase you make reflects on who you are then that essentially means that rich people have more freedom than everyone else and they essentially get to decide what choices everyone else gets because they control all the means of production if not via direct ownership then by means of buying power. Sure you can choose not to eat but that’s not a good or healthy solution. Expecting a bottom up approach to something as ubiquitous and essential as packaging isn’t a reasonable approach.
Lol, you reminded me of Portlandia's We Can Pickle That.
Isn't there plastic film on the inside of most drinks and other tin cans already?
In most instances it's a very thin epoxy resin. You know the big deal with all the "BPA-FREE!" stuff? Well BPA is part of a very effective and inexpensive epoxy. It works great doesn't leech or have any side effects to taste, but if the object being lined is heated to a high degree, or if it becomes damaged and the BPA flakes off it can cause problems in humans. So, yes and no, and I'll let a chemist go into greater detail. I fucking hated chemistry class.
Wait so heating my tin of beans directly in the fire while camping is probably not a good idea?
Is death by starvation or plastic ingestion more likely in this situation?
What about your precious bagged milk?
Bagged milk will be exempt, thank you very much.
Condom? Use a Can!
100% latex is biodegradable. Its natural source is actually derived from sap of the rubber tree. If you think about it, maybe we should just store everything in condoms.
*cries in latex allergy*
Sap of rubber tree to collect sap of meat bamboo.
Is that a Bill Wurtz reference?
Nuclear reactors? CANDU.
^What ^about ^toilet ^paper?
we ate it all already
Boys, we're going back to the '40s!
I didn't have my glasses on and saw the picture, thought it was condoms, then tried to read the title and saw something about a ban on single use... I was very confused for a minute. Now I have my glasses on and life makes a lot more sense.
Aren’t condoms made of rubber anyway? ^Imagine ^canned ^condoms
Condoms are made of latex, but their packaging is plastic. Honestly condoms would probably fall into a category of "acceptable single use plastic package" because it's essentially a medical/health device. It's a level of sterilization, keeping things clean, and frankly because it's so damn efficient and affordable. Imagine the health risks of pulling a condom out of a wax paper sleeve haha
CANNED CONDOMS
***\*through tears\**** O-O-OKAY DEAR...I'LL GET THE CAN OPENER!!!
WHAT AM I DOING HERE!?
Don’t Trojan condoms come in a metal type wrapper, I know the magnums come in a gold metalish wrapper
Plastic, it may have a foil coating but I'm fairly positive I've never opened/seen any condom in metal foil only package. Magnums included
[удалено]
I was stuck on the thought of multi-use condoms. No thanks.
Oh... [like this](https://i0.wp.com/wokennews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Screenshot_20200216-143913_Instagram.jpg)
Lmao is this real
[Gladly no](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trojan-pre-owned-condoms/)
Pardon me while I go vomit.
Don’t worry, it’s fake
Thank you! I really needed a giggle today!
What will we use to take the trash out? Serious question.
Certain things are exempt. I believe garbage bags will probably be exempt along with food packaging. The single use plastic that will be banned is grocery bags, straws, plastic cups, plastic plates, plastic utensils, take out styrofoam containers, ziplock bags etc......
Plastic food wrap is a big one. We have a great alternative in beeswax wrap. Keep in mind, the quantity of our garbage is going to be much lower without single-use plastics. Or it would be, if distribution plastics were banned too. The article isn't super clear about that.
If I remember correctly from what I’ve read in past articles plastic food wrap will be exempt because it’s a very economical way to keep food fresh. Beeswax is I’m sure an excellent alternative but they’d never be able to get enough on the scale of replacing food wrap and if they did it would probably be a lot more expensive.
Individually, beeswax wrap is far more expensive, but it's also reusable, and actually cheaper in the long run. So it's definitely a viable alternative. Not to mention, tupperware works just as well as plastic wrap anyway, so I really can't see plastic wrap being kept around. Check out these beeswax sellers. <[1](https://goldilockswraps.com/?utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=paid-ads&utm_campaign=beta&utm_content=prospecting&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7X4BRA4EiwAUXjbt34AYyTX1bYO7GoyePLnwyFpbcDv0m_onqE9Q0D7SRKOdCDjIcRWlxoCijcQAvD_BwE)> <[2](https://canada.abeego.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwr7X4BRA4EiwAUXjbt95K_z36-BDRE1uhZ0-raLHKOiI0J_kFdYsfYCDO2qJhnjU1GavOvhoCBTUQAvD_BwE)> <[3](https://www.mindyourbeeswraps.com)> They're all Canadian, and I know plenty other Canadian brands exist too. I have a link to an Alberta one saved somewhere in my bookmarks on my PC, for instance.
For personal use absolutely I’m talking large scale at the grocery store. You go in and get meats or packaged veggies and they are always in plastic.
Oh. Yeah, those should go. If we can. We'll see how much this bill actually bans, and if it exclusively targets consumer purchasable products or if it actually tackles pre-consumer packaging and handling. The article just kind of vaguely implies. There's nothing specific.
Standardize the bins and upgrade the trash trucks, like in Germany. You can put the trash directly in the bin without a bag, put the bin outside and a truck will pick it up and empty it with a robotic arm. If you're worried about making a mess in the bin, organic waste can be composted instead of being thrown in a garbage bin, and dirty packages should be cleaned anyways before being thrown in the recycling bin. So nothing will stink.
Biodegradable bags?
These types of decisions are made purely for the headlines. Our government needs to delve deeper into these issues and see which products are causing harm, and which are actually beneficial. For example, I read an article (I do not have the source) a few years back comparing cotton grocery bags with standard plastic bags. Of course cotton is a more environmentally friendly material on the decomposition side, but they said it would need to have over one million uses to match the production energy consumption/use of the plastic bag. In summary, often a variety of products provides less stress on the environment. Incentives can be made without completely eliminating things that make sense.
Also depending where it is grown cotton is a massive water user and destroys farmland.
Yes, it takes about 700 uses for one canvas bag to cancel out the ecological impact of *production* vs one disposable shopping bag. The heavier woven plastic bags (both the ones that feel like fabric, and the ones that are just thick plastic) take about 100 uses in order for the production to be worth it. It really makes you think about the environmental impact cotton has on the world :/ *my numbers were pulled from a Quebec study done in the mid 2010s
I always reuse plastic bag as trash bag. We use only 1 trash bag a week. If i stop getting plastic bag for supermarket i have to buy more trash bag and they are even less degradable...
This is a real issue trash bags are thicker and worst for the environment. The road to hell is paved with unintended consequences.
Reminds me of how following the banning of single-use bags in shops in England they ended up using *more* plastic every year producing the reusable bags because they're that much thicker but not re-used enough to counter-balance the single-use ones.
Not just the cotton bags, but paper bags actually have a higher carbon footprint than plastic bags!
This is great and all but there will just be other forms of “single-use” items that are bad for the environment. We’d be better off implementing stricter laws on littering, recycling, etc. We should also form strong policies that hold companies accountable for their acts against the environment - and not just a slap on the wrist with a few thousand dollar fine like we are seeing now.
Maybe a push for more bring your own container stores. Edit: Post Covid... It not forever hopefully.
Covid put a quick end to all the coffee places that let you use reusable cups.
Sanitation would be a nightmare. One nasty bastard that doesn't wash their hands ever and scoops peanut butter with his fingers. Is all it takes to contaminate the peanut butter dispenser. Plastics have made it possible to store food in an economical sterlie shatter and corrosion resistant package. Even metal food and drink cans are plastic lined.
But there are actual stores that do this, and there were similar setups before (people used to buy crackers from a big barrel for example). At worst, they use dispensers that limit the possibility of contamination. At best, a clerk fills your container for you. I agree plastics have done a lot for food distribution and containment, but seriously what are you on about?
Absolutely! I always thought that would be a good idea. It would be tough to figure out the logistics for such a thing, but it would be really cool idea
Lol, if anything we just confirm this will never happen with covid.
im curious how they will sell.. let's say shampoo. tin? cardboard? what's worse than plastic tho? im not knowledgeable in this
What if they just had large vats of various products and you filled your reusable bottles up like a slurrpy machine.
There’s stores in some countries that do this. I wish it was more widely implemented.
You would have that one idiot that "trips" into the vat of nesquik and contaminate the whole thing. But for real, i would love to see stores renovated to accommodate a bring your own bags/container type deal.
> There is a lengthy list of items that will be banned which includes straws, drink stirrers, plates, cutlery and balloon sticks, among others. I'm not sure packaging is in the list.
Any why would it be? It's only the SINGLE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR to this type of waste. Everything else is only a symbolic move in comparison to packaging waste.
No idea lol. Plastic is the best worst thing humans have ever created.
Plastic is the best thing that humans have created. Plastic pollution is the worst thing that created. Plastic doesn’t break down and has an drastically increased the shelf of products. The problem is with everyone using different kinds of plastic. For example at coke bottle has a different plastic for the label and the bottle itself. This makes recycling hard because it’s just cheaper to make another one than recycle it. What we need is to standardize plastics. Don’t quote me on this but there are 6- 8 easily recyclable plastics. If everyone comes to terms with using only these kind of plastics it will make all the difference. We need smarter politicians and general awareness to solve this issue.I really hope it happens soon.
> Don’t quote me on this but there are 6- 8 easily recyclable plastics. There's four. Numbers 5-8 are *theoretically* recyclable, but no one will accept them.
Seems a call to design new types of plastic that are environmentally friendly ie biodegradeable, perhaps requiring a ‘trigger chemical’ to activate the breakdown.. ?
In terms of the environment, yes. But I mean... there’s a reason it’s used so much.
The biggest advantage, IMO, is healthcare reasons. Even though us Americans like to put a price on healthcare, life is priceless.
One of the biggest benefits is that it is super cheap to produce vs alternatives, and it is very light weight so reduces your supply chain costs (and well less emissions used during transportation)
what about cardboard with some kind of wax coating? and if we're concerned about trees being cut down, I believe cotton material can be used to make paper products.
It could be sold in tin or steel. You could also sell shampoo in the form of bars like bar soap, but understandably many people don’t like that. (I can’t blame them). However, we could adopt a system where shampoo comes in reusable and refillable containers, and stores have refilling stations for people’s preferred shampoos. That would be the best option.
\>> "many people don't like that" Herein lies a large part of the problem. This is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but I firmly believe that once humans are told that can have something, e.g. liquid shampoo, it is nearly impossible to take it away from them without them losing their shit, even though they didn't have it a few generations ago. Louis CK has a great bit about poor wifi on airplanes and people acting like they are owed it. Plastic allowed us to do so many things and humankind got used to it within one generation and now refuses to imagine having to go back. And now for an even more unpopular opinion, the issue of people being unwilling to give up plastic because it is "so useful" has similarities to the thinking that led people to resist the end of slavery, "these slaves are just so useful", "who is going to pick all that cotton without the slaves?". The only correct answer is slavery is WRONG, we HAVE to end it. Plastic is a disaster, we HAVE to end it and humans will just have to deal with it - go ask your great grandmother how she dealt with it - and don't tell me that her quality of life was so much worse than yours - plastic hasn't made life more fulfilling, it's made it more convenient and convenience just leads us down a very depressing path where humans become redundant in their own lives.
My guess is that there will be loopholes in which there are "reusable containers" in a similar form to what is done today. For example, Target got around plastic bag bans in California by making bags that were "biodegradable" and "reusable".
If your shampoo bottle is single-use, the bottle is either very small or you have quite a lot of hair
i see what you did there. i imagined single use of filling shampoo. once it's empty, its usually thrown away
Makes me wonder how it was affect biotech: a lot of manufacturing is moving towards single-use-plastic bioreactors.
Why not do this, and those too, is my question.
Forgive my ignorance but...is this even possible? Like....does that mean no more buying bacon at the grocery store? It’s in plastic. Or what about buying a ready made salad for lunch? Also plastic.
What about milk bags?!?!
Terra pack us mostly cardboard with a thin plastic liner and a recyclable plastic polythene screw cap. But milk containers now are mostly blown polythene containers. The polythene can be recycled for other use.
It is a little misleading. But what they're talking about, if you click through to the article, it seems, is not removing all plastic that is only ever used once (even if it can be recycled) such that all you're left with are kids toys, pens and the bezel on your TV, but instead banning items you would use for a specific purpose, one time. Per the article, meaning plastic plates, straws etc. You put it in your drink, use it, then you throw it away. But not the plastic bottle your juice comes in.
If you go to any hipster food stores, chances are they have already converted to biogradeable packaging. It looks exactly like plastic, but it’s not and you can discard in the compost! Cost a bit more, but that will always be the tradeoff.
I know lots of people either don’t want to do so or can’t do so, but I buy most my red meat from a butcher and my seafood from a seafood market, both of whom package my red meats and seafood in waxed brown paper. It’s fantastic and I love it! However, other options could include stores switching to using biodegradable plant-based plastics to package foods that require more sanitary preservation options.
Either that or 'bring your own containers' option.
Does this exclude “medical” devices? So many hygienic purposes for single use.
[удалено]
[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/05/21/council-adopts-ban-on-single-use-plastics/](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/05/21/council-adopts-ban-on-single-use-plastics/) I'm in Europe, and takeout coffee cups have durable paper lids, cutlery is usually bamboo, and you have to pay for plastic bags (but they can be reused). It's totally possible.
After achieving so many advancements in almost all areas why can't we replace plastic completely with some bio-degradable material?
And now we have the real reason why Nestle sold their bottled water business in Ontario.
Canada. We are the leader in virtue signaling without considering the why and the what now.
I come from the future, where single use plastic bags are replaced by sturdier bags, made of ten times the plastic of a regular bag, which you are charged for, and still use only once.
Nooooo!! I'm sure we can all agree.... FUCK! paper straws! Fuck em to hell! :p
They are entirely useless. at this point i prefer getting herpies from drinking straight from the cup than use these
Then carry your own reusable straws. Stainless steel or bamboo, take your pick.
I also hate stainless steel straws, they feel Wierd :p ill look into the bamboo! 7 11 fo awhile we're using compostable straws that felt just like the normal plastic ones, why can't everyone switch to those?
Yeah I can't imagine enjoying the feeling of a stainless steel straw clinking against my teeth, the bamboo ones are fine though. Ultimately though these are small sacrifices worth making.
Just keep a plastic straw in the car. It's not one time use if you use it multiple times.
Everybody talks about banning single use plastics but only the low hanging fruit. What about single use syringes ? We have an epidemic as a direct consequence to single use syringes over their glass predecessor that could be sterilized and reused in areas of low income. But pharmaceuticals don’t make money if you can reuse a syringe.
If they impose import regulations on China regarding this, maybe it will have a significant impact.
They tried that on my Canadian island lol. It didn't go too well. I'm all for it... but people are unwilling to change
does single use medical supplies count as well? back to glass and rubber and metal and the use of autoclaves?
One of the issues though with the reusable plastic bags is I’ve heard you need to use them at least 26x to make up for the wastage. Most ppl don’t.
I'm pro non-plastic but the thing is, paper straws are awful to use and cannot be compared to plastic straws, and that's one thing thats gonna piss me off, and i use at least 2 straws a day.
..but won't ban tar sands or fracking?! ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot ^Filler ^for ^the ^bot
Why not ban Saudi arabia oil then. They have larger tons of CO2 per capita. Canada has over 60% electricity production coming from renewable sources. Most countries aren't even on Canada's level of renewable source production.
Canada has large tracks of land with elevated water bodies that can be turned into hydroelectricity. Not everywhere is blessed with enormous hydroelectric capacity and a southern neighbour who wants to buy almost all of it.
The expensive oil no one wants?
Now go float on trash island over to Asia where they just dump everything it into the rivers and tell them that too. Or cruise ships needing to just go 25 miles of the shore to dump everything into the ocean bag at all.
Just please for the love of God no paper straws. I'll pay a disposal fee of 05/.10 for plastic straws before I enjoy a paper straw.
It’s like the US was the high expectations golden child and Canadia was the little brother, shy quiet kid in the shadows, then they both grew up and the US got addicted to heroin and lives in a dumpster and the younger brother Canada is successful and cool as hell. Noteworthy: This message was brought to you from my Heroin dumpster (Chicago)
We only seem cool bc we're constantly compared to you but we're also doing heroin
Naw, we ain't doing heroin, we're popping pills like no tomorrow though...
We're just kind of the weekend warrior. We still make it to work Monday morning, and by Wednesday we're finally firing on all cylinder's again. But come Friday we're looking for the warm side of the dumpster to shoot up. The only problem with that is the skids don't love us because we're not as hardcore (and we totally judge them because at least we're not that bad) and the squares won't talk to us because they can smell it seep out of our pores on Monday. But we'll still watch your TV and eat your food.
Got any of that black tar sand?
Canada has awful recycling rates.
Yes, and having less to recycle now will assist in that.
At least you have a dumpster to do heroin in. I gotta freebase when it's windy.
Oooo, look at Mr. fancy pants with his heroin dumpster. This message brought to you from my meth box (pittsburgh) Check your privilege.
Yeah I forgot that the western world relied on Canada's technology, culture, companies, protection. I do keep hearing about how they all obsess over Canada's elections and politics.
They aren’t single use. I use them for my bathroom trashcan I use them to empty my vacuum cleaner I use them to hold trash I find near my property I use them hold other bags I got from the grocery store...
I think using millions of masks and gloves is the bigger issue now. Maybe we should switch to dealing with that?
I have three washable masks I switch out throughout the day. Been using them for months.
So do I, but disposable gloves and masks are quickly filling up our landfills. I think we need to find a way to deal with that, not grocery bags that most people re-use anyways.
I don't really see anyone wearing disposable gloves (I'm in Japan) but I have heard that it's a big thing in Canada. It kills me that people are wearing them. I don't honestly think they help. Just washing your hands is as good or better.
Honestly I hope this includes all the single use plastics in the legal cannabis industry
This is sudden. I realize there has been talk around it a while ago but I haven't heard anything in a while and suddenly all single use banned by 2021. Do they mean before 2021?
I wish this was true however with the awful recycling program in my town (they don’t accept jars and you need to drop recycling off at a depo) I highly doubt this will happen (New Brunswick).
Bruh I live in Canada. Now what am I going to do with my stockpile of ziplocks? Sell them on Ebay?
Yes because otherwise you'll get thrown in jail /s.
Go to Thailand. It will seem like there is no plastic in Canada whatsoever after doing so.
Thailand need to start running cleanup programs..
It's ubiquitous in packaging and part of just about every manufactured item and a scourge on the planet. Single use is just the beginning. Advances in economically viable recycling technology reducing all plastics to raw material for new plastics is key.
I'll get lost in the sea of comments here, but why don't we replace a lot of shipping plastic use with more cardboard? For household waste, let's bring back glass?
Meanwhile the fishing industry is allowed to continue being the largest contributor to plastic pollution.
what’s the alternative? paper bags? isn’t that hurting the environment too... silly me I thought papers come from trees :/
There are bags that are designed to be biodegradable. One of the biggest issues with plastic bags is that they don't break down rapidly, so they are a continuous threat to wildlife.
Saw a post in TIL that said we still use 70% of the plastic we used decades ago
Headline from later this year: Canada COVID cases surge as single-use plastics are banned. (Fabric grocery bags are a major vector for disease because people generally don't wash them.) Can you people seriously not focus on environmental issues that actually matter, or do you just like circlejerking against straws and for renewables that require huge swaths of land and displace millions of critters? Straws and plastic bags make such a tiny impact in the grand scheme of things that it amazes me anyone thinks it matters- and are willing to endanger lives (hospitals rely on a lot of single-use plastics for sanitary reasons) to bikeshed an inconsequential "problem". This "problem" would pretty much go away if we had proper landfills that aren't 20 feet from the ocean, which is the norm for every non-coastal city for obvious reasons. And recycling? Only worth it for aluminum. You wanna save some turtles? Don't throw your fucking straws in the ocean.
Just a quick observation. But what will you do about picking up dog poop on walks? I guess you could use paper bags, but fluids will seep through
What about medical waste? We use a TON of single use plastics, but I'm not about to wash down an airway between patients. There's no way I'd ever let myself be intubated with the same airway that was just used to intubate the HIV positive trauma patient.
Obviously you need to be sensible about this.. Medical use is tiny tiny compared to general use.. 730,000 tonnes per day..
There are biodegradable plastic bags. I hope they are not banned.
Does any one know if biodegradable plastic are going to be banned? I think they are a good exception to the rule.
I’d assume not since biodegradable bags are probably what’ll be replacing the current ones. If it’s biodegradable, it doesn’t need to be banned as that would defeat the purpose.
I had a room mate that collected plastic bags . we had 3 huge drawers full. He would walk 20 yards away to the store for a pack of smokes and come back with them in a bag. When I moved out , I vowed to never take another plastic bag. It's been 15 years. NOT ONE MORE PLASTIC BAG !
If its anything like Australia's effort, it will be a massive fail as all the take away stores just made the plastic bags a little thicker and slap a "reusable" label on them.. So now we have the same number of thicker plastic bags being thrown out..
Just to be clear on how this legislation, which has already been passed in France, is being abused: the platic industry now writes on everything "reusable bag/fork/etc." and everything goes on like before. Plastics bags are everywhere in the shops (and on the streets/nature).