Plastics
Plastics pollution is a problem that is compounded EVERY day … in fact, if “plastics” was called out separately – it would be the 5th largest producer of greenhouse gases between extraction, production, use, and disposal.
Worse yet - plastic production may more than double by 2050.
Unlike metals or glass - Plastic cannot be recycled without quickly degrading in quality. Most plastic can only be recycled 2-3 times (if it can be recycled at all ;-( ). Additionally, many types of plastics cannot be recycled economically for either technological reasons or lack of demand for recycled materials
Key Point –
it is cheaper to just make more plastic ;-(
Plastic does not biodegrade - most of the plastic that has been made over time is still out there somewhere, poisoning our planet. Less than 10% of all plastic has been recycled (and only 1% has been recycled twice). As a result, plastic waste ends up overflowing landfills, littering our streets, polluting the ocean, and harming wildlife. Worse yet, plastic breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics that have been found in every corner of the globe and in EVERY living creature.
And now we find that the industry is pushing “chemical recycling” (also known as advanced or molecular recycling … more “greenwashing”) – where we use chemicals to break down the plastic. In addition to being highly energy and water intensive – it produces toxic chemicals. This is NOT A SOLUTION … and one of these plants is being considered for the Greeley area. (https://ecocycle.org/our-programs/zero-waste-colorado/community-campaigns/greeley-pyrolysis-plant/)
Let’s listen to Maureen McCarthy from the FoCo Trash Mob talk about the perils of plastic, the ongoing juggernaut of plastics we see each and every day and what we can do … plastic pollution is not going away – it is getting worse by the day! But let’s hear from Maureen ... https://tinyurl.com/dsnu5a4z
Why are plastics so troublesome?
To start with - most plastics today are made from ethane which is produced as a byproduct of fracked gas ….
And then over 13,000 chemical additives are used to manufacture plastics – most of these additives are toxic to living things. Greenhouse gases are produced in EVERY stage of its lifecycle – extraction, transport, production, transport, and disposal. When plastics are thrown away, they end up in our air and water where sunlight and heat result in methane emissions.
Plastics is the new coal.
A 2021 report from Beyond Plastics found that the plastic sector’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions in the US is now poised to surpass those of coal-fired power plants. In the US, the petrochemical industry plans to triple production by 2050 with several new plastic-related production facilities. https://www.beyondplastics.org/publications/the-new-coal
Some Statistics and the Health Impacts
How bad is it ... really bad -- here are some statistics:
· Every year – we produce over 400 million tons of plastics
· Almost one half of all plastics produced goes into single use items
· 1.5 billion water bottles are bought worldwide every day
· 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away by Americans every hour
· 2 million plastic bags are used every minute
· Every minute a garbage truck full of plastic is dumped into the oceans
· 10-20 million metric tons of plastic go into the ocean every year
· Every liter of water has 240,000 pieces of plastic
And the US is the worst country when it comes to plastics -- 71 billion pounds a year– and roughly half of it is designed to be tossed away after a single-use. In fact - the United States generates more plastic waste per person than any other country—286 pounds annually, nearly double that of China. And this is coupled with a recycling rate in the US only about 5-6% of all plastic is ever recycled (worldwide number is 9%). And only 1% of plastic is recycled twice … plus it is cheaper to just make more plastic than to recycle.
Throwing away plastic does not mean that the plastic disappears.
And this is the impact on our health ... and the health of our children ...
It is more than just a pollution problem – it is also a huge health care crisis. Most of the chemicals used in the plastic industry are extremely hazardous. These chemicals cause cancer, endocrine disruption, lung problems, obesity, infertility, and other issues. Plastics breaks down into microplastics and we now see microplastics and nanoplastics are in almost every organ in our bodies. We find that unborn babies and children are particularly vulnerable.
And guess who bears the brunt of this health issue … the poor. “The [petrochemical] industry releases more than 90% of its reported climate pollution into 18 communities, mostly along the coastlines of Texas and Louisiana. People living within 3 miles of these petrochemical clusters earn 28% less than the average US household.” https://www.beyondplastics.org/publications/the-new-coal
Worse yet – a SUP is used for minutes or seconds, and then tossed into the environment where it wreaks havoc on our planet’s waterways, land and air when it’s burned (sometimes called “waste to energy,” or “chemical recycling” that we discussed earlier in the training.)
Look at the graphic below on the life of a plastic fork. As a note - approximately 40 billion tons of individual plastic cutlery is wasted in the United States every year. This is not sustainable.
Single Use Plastics
We MUST convince ... require ... push corporations to use less plastic in the first place. They must eliminate the single-use plastics epidemic. And so much of the problem relates to packaging. In fact - 45% of plastic produced today goes to making packaging.
Online retailers create an enormous amount of plastic waste from the single-use packaging used to ship things to our homes. In 2021 alone, e-commerce companies generated 3.4 billion pounds of plastic waste globally. A report from the ocean conservation group Oceana estimated that Amazon generated 709 million pounds of plastic waste globally in 2021.
Single Use Plastics (SUPs) are a pox on our planet. SUPs are NOT the same as durable plastics – durable plastics are useful in our daily lives: glasses, cars, cooking utensils, etc. On the other hand - SUPs are destined to be thrown away from the moment they are produced … SUPs include packaging- e.g., bottles, jugs, tubs, wrappers, bags, food service ware … and also cigarette butts, coffee cups, multilayer bags (potato chips), cling wrap, “blister” packaging, back plastic … The list is endless ;-(. And SUPs are the fastest growing segment of plastics production (~40% now)
The only real solution …
IS TO MAKE LESS PLASTIC
The key issue in reducing plastics is simple – we need to get retailers and other industries (like food and consumer goods companies) to generate less plastic. Some of this is basic and should be the rule of the land - eliminating polystyrenes (like Styrofoam), labeling products correctly for recycling and composting, removing harmful chemicals from packaging, and other regulatory actions.
But the real key is to encourage companies to do “the right thing” and to help drive innovation in packaging through redesign and innovation. And there are a number of key policy approaches that we are seeing
First – at a global level. The INC-5 The Global Plastics Treaty is drafting an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution to significantly reduce plastic production. The treaty focuses on eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastics, curtailing investments in false solutions and prioritizing reuse and redesign targets. But it has a long way to go …
https://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/guest-articles/plastics-treaty-what-went-wrong-in-busan-whats-next/
The Role of the States in Plastic Policies
In 2021, Colorado passed the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act – as shown below. It was a start but we need to do so much more.
Colorado is now focused on the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility program implemented through a key bill - Producer Responsibility for Recycling Packaging and Paper (HB22-1355) which passed in 2022 in Colorado. The bill will provide free and convenient recycling access to all Coloradans with no added cost to consumers or local governments. For more information on this landmark bill
https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/2022a_1355_signed.pdf
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a 100% producer-funded program where producers pay based on the type and amount of packaging they put on the market. As a result, EPR rewards producers with lower fees based on development of easier to recycle packaging. The Producer Responsibility Website contains additional resources and can be found here:
https://www.recyclingforallcoloradans.org/
And hats off to Ecocycle who have played a key role in both the passage of the bill as well as the ongoing implementation of EPR as well as multiple projects around waste diversion. For more on Ecocycle and their work on plastics – go to:
https://ecocycle.org/our-programs/zero-waste-colorado/plastic-pollution-reduction-act-overview/
The key tenant of Producer Responsibility is to provide residential and some nonresidential recycling access for customer-facing packaging: bottles, cans, containers, boxes, mailers, printed paper (magazines, junk mail), food service packaging, and a standard state-wide list of recyclable materials.
We see the states working to push for meaningful plastic policies. In 2024 – California, Colorado, and a number of other states pushed forward policies to ban plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts.
The first key action arising from the Plastic Pollution Bill in 2021 legislation was the banning of single-use plastic carry-out bags from distribution at large retail stores and a $0.10 fee for paper bags. The intention of this approach is to create an incentive for customers to choose reusable bags. The bill also banned polystyrene to-go food containers/cups.
A Key Solution ... Extended Producer Responsiblity
Colorado’s Producer Responsibility program will expand recycling statewide to approximately 700,000 more households, boost Colorado’s recycling rate for packaging to 60% by 2035, and shift the cost of paying for Colorado’s recycling system from taxpayers and households to product manufacturers, creating an incentive to reduce unnecessary packaging. In 2028, these efforts will expand to non-residential entities like schools, small businesses, government buildings, etc. EPR will not cover trash services, construction waste, electronics or other recycling or waste services.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Top 5 Ways To Fight Plastics Waste
(1) Bring “your own” e.g. water bottles, plates, utensils
(2) Shop “responsibly” plastic free products (plastic-free/sustainable packaging)
(3) Bundle orders (or avoid “big box” e.g., Amazon all together)
(4) Choose products that use aluminum or glass versus plastic
(Aluminum is better than glass due to lighter weight decreasing transport costs)
(5)Practice zero-waste principles … and do not throw plastic away!
Even though industry needs to play the lead role in battling the perils of plastics – there is a lot that each of us can do … the best approach is to find ways to reduce your plastic consumption – much of this relates to the Zero Waste concept with a focus on reuse, repurposing, and other approaches to minimize waste diversion.
One innovative approach is the “refillery” concept. A “refillery” was a concept pioneered as part of zero waste initiatives and it is essentially a store where you bring in your own containers (BYOC) or purchase reusable containers and fill up with personal and home bulk essential goods.
We have one such company here in Northern Colorado - https://www.sistainablerefillery.com/. And we have an offer from Sistainable Mercantile at the end of the training ...
And there are more refilleries depending on where you live … there is a collective that provides networking across refillieries on best practices and search facilities for consumers - go to https://refill.directory/.
But there is more you can do such as working with your local government to enact policies to decrease the amount of plastic being produced – for example, prohibiting e-commerce companies from using SUP in their shipments. Additionally, state and local government should pass legislation to require truth in recycling labeling for plastics and companies need to “own” the financial responsibility for the full life cycle of their products through extended producer responsibility policies.
Plastics are a problem that gets larger by the day ... and the burden falls mainly on "producers" to move away from plastics ... especially in product manufacturing and packaging. But - we can all play a role as well ...