2020 has been a ridiculous year, one where keeping up with the sheer pace of the news cycle was an achievement in itself. It will be defined forever by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on, well, everything. It’s only in hindsight that we will be able to reflect on its impacts in other areas, particularly waste. There have been glimmers of hope for a waste free future though, and the growing consensus against waste at multiple levels of society and government have been promising to watch.
Here are some of our hopes and resolutions for a 2021 that has to be better.
No more delays on SUP legislation.
2020, for as bad as it was, had mixed messages on the topic of banning single-use plastics. While Edmonton’s progress on the SUP bylaw has been paused, the federal government’s announcement of a 2021 ban was both promising and a reminder that reducing plastic waste should be on the radar of every government. However, banning single-use plastics ‘by the end of 2021’ is vague enough that we expect to be holding governments accountable for their promises. We hope that won’t be the case.
International waste legislation
Our SUP framework will help government officials with their planning and decision making for similar SUP bylaws in their jurisdictions. The best way to achieve waste reduction is through a network of overlapping laws that provide knowledge and experience for other cities and countries looking to reduce waste. The European Union has us beat with a tax on unrecyclable plastic that went live on January 1st! Bans, taxes, and other prohibitions will help stamp out plastic waste slowly, but surely. It’s up to us to use these advances to help waste reduction efforts in Edmonton.
Waste Free Edmonton’s 2018 appearance in Devon.
More opportunities for collaboration, dialogue
We’ve been able to work on communicating the need for waste reduction through our social media and digital meetups, but just being in the same room as someone, talking about waste, hearing and listening how it affects someone and their community provides that energy to push for greater change. We want more community events, repair cafes, field trips, anything to help further integrate waste reduction into our everyday lives.
Continued moves towards local economies
For years, we spoke against online shopping from an emissions standpoint — how much CO₂ was released into the atmosphere to ship that parcel to your door? But Amazon worker strikes helped shed more light on the negative results of mass consumerism and pushed more individuals to think, shop, and act locally. Acknowledging the benefits of circular economies, freecycling, bartering, and local connectivity helps reduce waste and foster community.
A healthy Edmonton
COVID-19’s effects on Edmonton have been painful, and we’re all looking forward to a regression and elimination of the pandemic. As exciting as the recent news on vaccines has been, we don’t know the logistics of vaccination, how it’s going to be implemented in Edmonton, and how long the process will take. What we do know is that there’s no waste reduction without Edmontonians to achieve it. We need to keep our community as healthy as possible in 2021.
I’m sure many of you have noticed the symbols and numbers on the bottom of your plastic bottles and jars. But did you ever think about why those symbols exist, who they benefit, and what they mean?
WHAT ARE THE SYMBOLS FOR?
The numbers indicate what type of resin is used to make that particular plastic, which then corresponds to how the item should be sorted and recycled. This system was created by the Plastics Industry Association in 1988 in part to help plastic recycling companies sort the incoming plastic for resale.
At first glance, it appeared as though the plastic producers were just trying to be helpful, categorizing the type of plastic for future users and making it easier to recycle these items. This is the “great plastic lie”.
These symbols trick consumers into thinking that not only are these goods possible to recycle, that they are actually being recycled. The “chasing arrows” around the numbers traditionally signal “recycle”. These arrows have since been changed to a solid triangle, but the “plastics industry has a vested interest in maintaining this myth.”
And there is a distinct lack of accessible education for individual consumers to make good decisions when shopping. Or when sorting their numbered plastic items for recycling. And unfortunately that often leads to “wishcycling”. Wishcycling is defined as “aspirational recycling”, and happens when a consumer puts a non-recyclable item in their recycle bin not because they know it is recyclable, but because they wish it was. One errant item can contaminate an entire bag or bin.
The misdirection of the symbols combined with the lack of comprehensive education around plastic recycling leads many people to believe they can keep buying plastic because it is being recycled, when in fact it isn’t. They put the burden on downstream individuals and organizations to properly sort and recycle all the plastic being produced. And there is little to no obligation placed on the producers to curb their plastic production or provide funds and infrastructure for recycling initiatives.
CONSEQUENCES
Recycling is labour and resource intensive. It costs money and it’s a lot of work. The Edmonton curbside pickup is a single stream system, where everything goes in the same bag and it’s left to the sorters at the facility to figure it out. And in Edmonton that means sorting it by hand.
Not only is the cost to deal with these products downloaded to residents (through taxes for example) to pay for increased sorting, we also have to deal with the waste in our communities. And environmental racism means this burden does not fall equally among individuals and neighbourhoods. We see these effects across Canada, with landfills often placed in or near Indigenous or predominantly Black communities.
This is the Edmonton Waste Management Centre, where workers try their best to make sense of these recyclables.
TAKE ACTION
But there are ways that individuals and communities can take back control from the plastic producers, and make a difference in the lives of their neighbours.
LOW EFFORT
If you have the resources to do so, buy alternatives to your favourite products that come in glass, metal, or cardboard packaging instead of plastic.
Watch Plastic Wars by the Passionate Eye to learn more about the great plastic lie.
MID EFFORT
Find a list of the types of plastic that your municipality actually accepts for recycling. Edmonton’s list is accessible here, or through the WasteWise app. Bring that with you to the grocery store, and try to avoid items made with plastics that aren’t on your list.
Sort your recyclables at home and take them to a recycling depot in Edmonton instead. The earlier recyclables can be sorted, the cleaner and less opportunity for contamination there will be. Find your nearest recycling depot here.
Reuse the plastic items that aren’t accepted by your municipality for recycling. While avoiding single-use plastics entirely is better, it’s not always feasible. Extend the life of these “single-use” items in creative ways or donate them to those that will.
MOST EFFORT
Learn about extended producer responsibility and write your elected officials to push for it in policy. In short, it holds the manufacturers of products to accountability throughout its entire lifecycle, not leaving customers responsible for the environmental cleanup.
Reach out to your local businesses to ask for more plastic-free options in their packaging.
Start a plastic-free initiative in your workplace or school. Waste Free Edmonton has resources to help you get started!
From a consumer standpoint, going plastic free often starts at the shopping cart. Earth’s General Store is a notable leader in waste free shopping. Photo: MacKenzie Photography
Recycling symbols on the bottom of plastic containers are misleading to consumers, and ultimately puts the burden on individuals to address the plastic waste entering our world, with no responsibility placed back on the plastic producers – the oil and gas industry – and no incentive for them to stop overproducing new plastic. Recycling is not going to save us, and unfortunately it was never designed to. There are ways that consumers and citizens can help, both in their everyday lives and to move toward more systemic change. “The future of a just and green planet relies on every single person, particularly those with access to resources, to take action that calls for larger societal changes.” (Chante Harris)
October 19 to 25, 2020 is our time to celebrate all things waste reduction, and spread the good word about initiatives folks are taking in their communities across Canada. While this week was officially started in 2001 by the Recycling Council of Ontario, many cities and provinces have been hosting their own waste reduction awareness initiatives since the 1980s. Closer to home, the Recycling Council of Alberta is presenting events across the province.
THEME DAYS
Waste Reduction Week is structured into 7 themes, with one to focus on each day. As with many waste free initiatives, you might have a lot of knowledge or interest in one area, and less in another. This structure gives everyone an opportunity to learn about something new or work towards a deeper commitment. All activism and organizing is more manageable when broken down into smaller steps, and waste reduction is no different.
With the seven themes, and various events and programming set for each day, there are a lot of different ways you can “celebrate” Waste Reduction Week and take action. If you are already doing some waste reduction in your household, pick a theme you are less familiar with. And if you’re very confident in your current actions, perhaps take this time to inspire others. We recommend chatting with your friends and family to find an activity you can do together. If you’re motivated, perhaps contact your community league, local politician, or your workplace to try to implement larger changes. Regardless of what you choose, choose something! We’ve compiled some activities for you, ranging from low effort to truly changemaking. It’s easy to stay at home and stay safe, too; you won’t have to compromise your cohort to take part!
With some online webinars on the list, you won’t have to compromise your cohort to take part!
Take part in The Alberta Leftovers Challenge on October 21. Post a photo on social and tag friends, family, local politicians and ask them how they prevent food waste.
MEDIUM EFFORT
Pack yourself – or your kid – a plastic-free lunch.
Sign up on the Share Waste app and make a compost delivery this week.
Take the City of Edmonton Waste Reduction Roadmap survey this week, and then share the link with your friends, family, and coworkers!
Do a trash and recycle bin audit, and then commit to making one item swap using the audit as your guide.
All this garbage — even if it was once recyclable, it is not anymore — could have been handled differently.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
As with any waste reduction lifestyle change, we are ultimately looking for systemic change as well. Waste Reduction Week’s mission is to empower all Canadians to adopt more environmentally conscious choices. But unfortunately we know that not everyone has equal access to those choices. Ultimately, it is the systemic change that is needed to permanently turn the tide on climate change. Talking to your workplace about making changes, helping folks in your community take their bulky and hazardous waste to the Eco Station, and packing plastic free lunches are very important. Communication and inspiration go a long way. We can take those actions a step further by joining or organizing an advocacy group to present a waste reduction recommendation to your City Council. More and more people are turning to their community leagues to help form a community-wide waste reduction strategy. Another important aspect of environmental justice is using your skills and platform – whatever that looks like – to amplify the voices of many Indigenous individuals, groups and Nations already doing this work.
Waste Reduction Week is a great place to start your journey, learn more about waste reduction in general, and then use as a springboard to achieve the systemic change needed to make a difference in our world.
