THE PROBLEM

THE ISSUE IS NOT THE PLASTIC

The issue is the plastic waste and where it ends up, not the plastic itself. Is it reused, is it repurposed, or is it recycled? Does it close the loop on the circular economy of plastic?

Ninety-one percent of all plastic ends up in a landfill! That's right! In spite of our best efforts, only 9% of all plastic is recycled.

Further, we use more plastic than we realize. It's not just the plastic that we buy in the stores and use, like water and soda bottles, it is also the plastic that is used to wrap cases of bottles you buy in the store, AND, the plastic that wraps the pallets of those cases that the store buys from its suppliers.

Even if we were able to recycle more plastic (which DOES help, so please keep recycling), at some point that bottle, container, or other plastic article can no longer be recycled. What then?

By choosing wisely what we buy, how we use it, and how we return it to the soil, individuals, businesses, and governments can make the choice for a sustainable future.

THE FACTS

Since 1950, global annual production of plastics has increased from two million tons to over 381 million tons, and that approximately one-third of all plastics produced are single-use plastics -- designed to be used only once and then thrown away.

In the United States, approximately 36 million tons of plastic end up as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) annually;
About 17% is combusted;
About 9% is recycled (91% of plastic isn't recycled); resulting in
27 Million tons of plastic waste ends up in landfills.

-- The US Environmental Protection Agency

"Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) studies on grocery bags performed in different countries by independent organizations spanning two decades show that plastic is the best choice. Results also show that paper bags, even with 100% recycle content, have significantly higher average impacts on the environment than either of the reusable bags or single-use plastic retail bags.

"Study results support the conclusion that any decision to ban traditional polyethylene plastic grocery bags in favor of bags made from alternative materials (compostable plastic or recycled paper) will be counterproductive and result in a significant increase in environmental impacts across a number of categories from global warming effects to the use of precious potable water resources. ...The conventional HDPE bag had the lowest environmental impacts."

-- Chris deArmitt, PhD, FRSC, CCHEM

THE PLASTIC WASTE PROBLEM

THE ISSUE IS NOT THE PLASTIC

THE FACTS

BENEFITS OF PLASTIC PACKAGING MATERIALS

THE PLASTIC WASTE PROBLEM

THE ISSUE IS NOT THE PLASTIC

THE FACTS

BENEFITS OF PLASTIC PACKAGING MATERIALS

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