Single Use Plastic Elimination and Recycling (SUPER) task force on Salt Spring Island
Salt Spring Island's Single Use Plastic Elimination and Recycling (SUPER) task force's website
“Plastics, like diamonds, are forever” is a favourite phrase for Charles Moore who, in 1997, discovered the Pacific Trash Vortex, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The ‘wake-up’ discovery led Capt. Moore to establish Algalita, one of the leading U.S. organizations doing research […]
What are microplastics? Microplastics are very small plastic particles (<5mm) found in increasing amounts in all the world’s oceans and shorelines, even found in polar ice. The major sources are: Tiny polyethylene granules used as ‘scrubbers’ or ‘exfolients’, found in facial cleansers, soaps and toothpaste […]
The thin plastic grocery bag is a single use plastic causing environmental havoc around the globe. Plastic bags were first introduced in 1977 and by 2017 three billion were used in Canada, along with the oil consumed in their manufacture and transport. Each bag is […]
The Zero Waste Emporium website lists zero waste stores in Victoria, BC that provide produce, meat, vegan items, dairy and dairy alternatives, dry and liquid bulk, personal care and cleaning products, and more, plastic free. www.zerowasteemporium.com FEATURED IMAGE: West Coast Refill, Victoria
I used to eat a lot of store-bought yogurt. In my cupboard were stacks of empty plastic yogurt containers. I used many of them to store food, but a good number ended up at the recycling depot. This seemed like a huge waste of resources […]
FEATURED IMAGE: How to make your own toothpaste
Over the last few years, researchers have discovered buried plastic. With plastic breaking down into smaller pieces over time, the smaller pieces sink through the sand and settle in sub-surface layers. So the world may be drastically underestimating the scale of plastic debris. Two examples […]
An analysis of Canada’s plastics industry shows the industry producing plastic dwarfs the industry trying to have it recycled. The report, completed by consulting firms Deloitte and ChemInfo Services, was commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada to guide its plan to cut the country’s […]
Whales, in particular baleen whales, are particularly susceptible to microplastics. This week, the carcass of the young sperm whale, estimated to have been 7 years old, was found on a beach in Cefalù, Italy. Investigators aren’t certain whether the plastic killed the whale. But it’s part […]
The governments of 187 countries have agreed on a deal to control the movement of plastic waste between national borders by restricting shipments of hard-to-recycle plastic waste to poorer countries. On May, 2019, the United Nations announced that Nations agreed to add plastic to the […]
One business initiative that is increasing worldwide is the introduction of zero waste shopping stores or aisles. Zero waste shops have opened up in Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and many other European countries, stocking plastic free staples, freshly baked goods, fresh produce, zero waste household […]
At this point, images of plastic waste-filled landscapes have managed to reach and horrify much of the general public. Plastic bag bans are proliferating in response. Now, bags made from alternative, biodegradable plastics are popping up in retail stores with regularity. But will those plastics actually […]
The UK is set to ban all sales of single use plastics, including plastic straws and cotton swabs from the country as early as next year. Prime Minister Theresa May announced the new ban during a meeting with Commonwealth nations, noting that plastic waste is one […]