Planet vs. Plastics

Earth Day  -  April 22, 2024        PLANET VS PLASTICS

Image: Amy Shamblen/Unsplash

I remember my first participation in an Earth Day celebration.  It was a lovely simple celebration which helped us welcome spring and new life.  Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970.  From that first celebration to 2024 we have grown in our understanding of the many ways that our beautiful earth is in crisis.  A wide range of events have taken place and are planned  worldwide with at least 1 billion people in more than 193 counties marking this day.  As we hear more about damages affecting people and planet, the theme for this year is “Planet vs Plastics”.  More than a theme, this effort has become a movement.

Planet vs Plastics unites students, parents, businesses, governments, churches and other faith communities, unions, individuals and NGO’s in an unwavering commitment to call for the end of plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the productions of plastics by 2040 and an ultimate goal of building a plastic-free future for generations to come.

Plastics are not biodegradable.  They break down into smaller and smaller pieces which are ingested by animals, fish, birds and humans.  Eighty-four percent of plastics contain toxins which pass into animals and our food chain.  The oceans are sick, our planet is suffering and life is endangered.

All of us are invited to do something for the care of our only home and to turn to contemplate the creation around us.  This contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us, since, “for the believer, to contemplate creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice.”  (Laudate Si, 85) urging us to act.

-Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ | Office for Systemic Justice

Canada Bans Single-Use Plastic

Guest Blog from Karen Wirsig, Plastics Program Manager

Karen Wirsig, Plastics Program Manager, Environmental Defence made remarks at the announcement in Toronto, ON. Photo by: www.shaymarkowitz.com / Shay Markowitz

We finally did it! Canada’s single-use plastic bans are for real

Big news this week! With a series of live announcements held across the country, the federal government finally released the final regulations to ban six single-use plastics – straws, stir sticks, check out bags, cutlery, some takeout containers, and six pack rings. 

Pat yourself on the back. This is only happening because so many of us demanded it.

The bans will start to come into force this year, earlier than suggested in the draft regulations. The final rules also ensure that these harmful products can no longer be exported to other countries by the end of 2025. These improvements in the final regulations are the result of so many of us insisting on them.

Check out our Instagram Live and learn more about what the new single-use plastic bans mean, what they can accomplish and what still needs to be done.

By the end of 2022, companies will no longer be able to manufacture or import single-use plastic stir sticks, checkout bags, cutlery and certain takeout containers. The same rule will apply to six-pack rings in mid-2023. A year after the manufacture and import ban comes into effect, these items will no longer be allowed to be sold or given away with other products. Straws will continue to be available, but only in packages in retail stores intended for people who need them for medical and accessibility reasons.

The news was met with celebration, as these bans are an important first step in reigning in the plastic pollution crisis. But not everyone was feeling so joyous…

It’s sickening that the main producers of plastic in this country – including Nova Chemicals, Dow Chemical and Imperial Oil – are still trying to kill the government’s action on plastic pollution. Yes, the outrageous Big Plastic lawsuit against federal regulation of plastics is still before the courts. Now these same companies have sent a new round of letters to the government specifically to oppose the bans. 

Countries on every continent are imposing bans on plastic. It’s wonderful to see Canada join that club. 

By this time next year, we shouldn’t have to pick up any more used straws on the beach or fish plastic bags out of streams and tree branches. The government estimates that the bans will mean 1.3 million tonnes less of plastic waste over a ten-year period, and 22,000 tonnes less of plastic litter leaked directly into the environment. 

Of course there’s much more to do to end plastic pollution … including further bans on harmful single-use plastics and easy access to reusable and refillable packaging. And you can count on us to keep the pressure on to make sure these things happen – we hope you’ll join us. 

We’ll have more to announce on the next steps soon, so stay tuned!

- Karen Wirsig. Plastics Program Manager, Environmental Defence Canada

Learn more: https://environmentaldefence.ca/