The No Plastic Project

Action! Ask the Ontario government to put a price on plastic pollution

Right here at home, plastic pollution is a threat to our water and land. As the Evnironmental Defence Fund says, plastic pollution in the Great Lakes rivals the ocean plastic garbage patches. But putting a price on plastic pollution, as most Canadian jurisdictions do through deposit return programs, can help. Please sign and share this petition asking Ontario to join the crowd and introduce a deposit return system to reduce plastic waste.

Get BPA out of food tins

BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical linked to various cancers and other serious health problems. According to Health Canada, there are measurable levels of BPA in the urine of 95% of Canadians. In 2010, the chemical was placed on the government’s toxic substances list, and its use was banned in baby bottles and sippy cups. Environmental Defence has just released a report on BPA, and is calling for a ban on its use in all food contact materials in Canada. Read their report, sign their petition, and share it on social media.

The trouble with... fleece

Just like tribbles, jackets, blankets, and other items made of fleece seem cuddly, soft, and harmless. But actually, microfibre plastic from fleece is multiplying in our waterways at a rate that puts tribbles to shame, causing problems all the way up the food chain. Here’s a good reminder about the problem with polyester fleece clothing — even the kind made from recycled bottles.

If you’d like more information and inspiration, check out our past post Fashion crime: plastic clothing.

New website at Plastic Pollution Coalition

The Plastic Pollution Coalition has a great new website. It's worth checking out for lots of information and ideas.

For World Environment Day...

We couldn’t agree more! Take your water with you. Drink from the tap. Refuse bottled water at conferences, fairs, sports events, hotels. Make other arrangements for water if you’re organizing an event. Create and lobby for bottled water free zones in your schools, workplaces, community centres, public offices.

 

Even more plastic in the oceans than we thought: and corals think it's food

New research shows that much more plastic waste is getting into our oceans than we previously thought. A group of scientists from Australia and the United States measured how much plastic waste from coastal and near-coastal communities is “mismanaged” and then calculated what this means for the amount making its way into oceans. They estimated that about 3% of plastic waste ends up in oceans annually — something between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tonnes. Worse still, based on projections of population growth and increased plastic consumption, they say the amount will double by 2025.

You can read an article about the research in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s on-line journal or find the original article published in the journal Science.

Another recent study, published in Marine Biology, highlights one reason all this is such a disaster. It documents how corals mistake micro plastics for prey: in other words, corals consume plastic instead of plankton, with unsurprising negative consequences.

Living in Ottawa or other continental locations, it’s tempting to think plastic in the oceans is a distant problem. But plastic gets into waterways and oceans through many routes that start far from the coast. Some people actually litter, of course, but debris (coffee cup lids, straws, bottle caps, small toys, packaging, and so much more) also blows out of recycling and garbage bins and into storm sewers, rivers, and streams. Plastic does plenty of damage in these waterways close to home, but is also carried to the oceans.

Here’s a link to a great series of Sherman’s Lagoon cartoons by Jim Tooney, showing how plastic trash travels from the middle of a continent out to the sea.

Fast-food packaging and plastics in the oceans

Every single day I pick up at least one plastic utensil or straw that's been tossed onto the sidewalk. Or a plastic coffee-cup lid. Or an empty styrofoam food container.

 

When it comes to plastic pollution, fast food/quick service restaurant (QSR) industries are a particular concern because of the contribution of plastic packaging to plastic pollution in the oceans and other aquatic environments. Plastic litter from takeout orders — including cups, plates, and straws — are often swept into waterways and oceans, where they partially degrade and harm marine life. A Clean Water Action study of street litter in four Bay Area cities, for example, found that the biggest source of street litter (49 percent) was from fast food.

 

According to Darby Hoover of the Natural Resources Defense Council:

 

“Single-use food and beverage packaging is a prime component of the plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways, which kills and injures marine life and poses a potential threat to human health. Companies have an opportunity and an obligation to curb this pollution. Better packaging design and improved support and adoption of recycling are key to turning the tide on this unnecessary waste.”

 

A new report, released yesterday by As You Sow and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), reviews the packaging practices of 47 fast food/QSR chains, beverage companies, and consumer good/grocery companies and highlights leaders and laggards in the field.

 

"Leaders" seems a strong word, though, given that not a single one of companies looked at attained the report’s “Best Practices” status.

  

The report analyzed the packaging practices in each industry based on attributes including types of material used; whether the materials are recyclable, compostable, and/or made of recycled content; and what the companies are actually doing to promote recycling of their packages. Some of the companies that were cited for "better practices" were Starbucks and McDonald’s. Walmart and Proctor and Gamble were also among the consumer goods companies and grocers taking proactive steps on packaging. 

 

But basically the report had bad news about recycling plastic: Only 14 percent of plastic packaging in the US is recycled. The failure to recycle packaging not only contributes to the problem of pollution of oceans, lakes, and rivers, it also misses the opportunity to create new green recycling jobs and contributes to an overall waste of $11.4 billion in potential recycling revenue every year.

 

On the up side, it is great that these kinds of reports are being done and receiving attention in the international press. As the detrimental effects of our consumer habits become more widely known, it is sure to affect how we behave, turning the tide on plastic pollution.

 

But this report also shows that recycling, while important, isn't the answer in the current environmental crisis. More important is that you refuse to take the plastic fork, straw, or styrofoam container in the first place. Carry your own spork and straw. And if you need to eat on the run, look for the fast food counter that offers biodegradable packaging.

 

You can see the report, “Waste and Opportunity 2015: Environmental Progress and Challenges in Food, Beverage, and Consumer Goods Packaging”, at www.asyousow.org/recycling and http://www.nrdc.org/business/consumer-goods-packaging.asp

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten and plastic

A member of my family was diagnosed with celiac disease last year, and it sent our no-plastic habits into a tailspin.

For someone with celiac disease, the slightest trace of gluten can be enough to set off an autoimmune reaction provoking a wide range of symptoms, intestinal damage, and long term health problems.

But keeping food free of gluten seems to involve a whole lot of plastic.

If you want to bake gluten free (GF), you need alternatives to barley, rye, and wheat, such as rice, bean, or amaranth flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, and more. With very few exceptions, they’re sold in plastic. And sold in small quantities in plastic, at that. The first time I saw a bag of certified GF rice flour, I laughed out loud: What could I possibly make for a family of five with such a tiny bit of flour?

Bulk bins are only safe in the unlikely event that you can find a store that sells only GF bulk goods, and that you know enough about their supply chains and practices to be sure there’s no contamination. For us, that means no more buying flours, grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, cereal, spices, dried fruit, chocolate chips, pretzels, or anything else from bulk bins.

Since you have to watch out for gluten contamination in many ordinary processed foods, there’s reduced choice for a lot of items. That's another thing that makes it harder to avoid plastic.

Packaged goods and mixes also seem more enticing now. I’ve baked from scratch my whole life, but baking without gluten is different and more difficult. For months, our only hope for a decent piece of toast was store-bought bread, and all GF bread comes in plastic. Also, with exceedingly limited choices for eating out, the allure of the occasional frozen meal or other packaged treat is much stronger.

There's no denying that—at least for now—plastic is part of the GF package. But our household is gradually finding ways to reduce our plastic footprint again, despite this new challenge. Here are a few ideas about how to do it:

• Search for brands that don’t package in plastic. For example, two brands of gluten-free flours are sold in secure paper bags here in Ottawa, and elsewhere, too: Maison Cannelle and Cuisine Soleil. If you have celiac disease, you'll want to check them yourself, but I’ve corresponded with the companies and feel satisfied with their safety. Consider writing to them and other companies to reinforce the message that GF doesn’t have to involve plastic. And ask your local GF source to stock them or other plastic-free brands.
• The best GF diet is heavy on naturally gluten-free items like fruits and vegetables that you can buy without plastic. Make those foods your staples.
• Try to keep packaged, processed foods to a minimum—for the sake of both personal and environmental health, not to mention the cost! Even if your flour is packaged, total packaging is less for a dozen homemade cookies than for the same number of store-bought ones. GF baking is daunting at first, but after some trial and error, I now prefer most of my own GF baking to most of what I can buy.
• Get in the habit of carrying homemade or low-packaging emergency snacks so you don’t have to succumb to buying things like single serve yoghurt or packaged protein bars if you’re unexpectedly out past mealtimes. Good planning is important if you must avoid gluten. If you’re also trying to avoid plastic, it’s even more important.
• As always, avoid single-use disposables. You can still carry your own mug, utensils, and packed lunches. You can still ask servers not to give you a straw, and to bring milk for your coffee in a glass or pitcher instead of a plastic creamer. You can still avoid plastic plates, disposable tablecloths, and myriad other disposable plastic items. Say no to over packaged and single serve foods like cheese strings and individual fruit cups in the grocery store. Don’t buy bottled water or other drinks in plastic. Bring your own cloth produce bags to the grocery store.
• Reduce your plastic footprint in other ways by cutting back on the purchase of new plastic in gadgets, toys, clothes, decorations, and more.

If you have experience avoiding both gluten and plastic, and can offer more advice, we’d like to hear from you.

If we don’t laugh, we’ll cry

Thanks to The Onion for this. If we don't laugh, we'll cry.

And while you're thinking about whether to laugh or cry, remember: it's not just toys. Put down that disposable plastic water bottle! Put down that disposable coffee cup and lid! Ask your server not to bring a straw! Don't use that cling wrap! Think twice before you buy that plastic thing! Choose to refuse! Choose to reduce! Choose to reuse!

If you haven't already, take the REFUSE Pledge at the Plastic Pollution Coalition and check out their site for more informaton and plastic related campaigns.

 

Scientists worry about chemicals in food packaging

When you avoid plastic packaging, you're probably thinking about doing a favour to "the environment." Plastic pollution in the environment obviously affects human health through its entry into the food chain, and certainly it has a clear and devastating impact on wildlife. But the health effects for people still may seem a bit distant.

In fact, packaging can have direct negative health consequences. An article in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health points out  dangerous gaps in our knowledge of risks from leaching chemicals from Food Contact Materials, or FCMs ("substances used in packaging, storage, processing, or preparation equipment").

At least 4000 chemicals are knowingly used in FCMs, and many more may enter through chemical reactions or breakdown. Many are known to be toxic. Endocrine-disrupting bisphenol A (BPA), which is used in FCMs, was placed on Canada's toxic substances list in 2010. Last year, research from Stanford University documented links between BPA and increased miscarriage risk. There is now more public awareness about BPA and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics, such as pthalates.

But little is known about many other substances that appear in FCMs, nor about the effects of chronic exposure. Though research is complicated, more is needed, especially to understand how these chemicals affect human development in utero and in young children. The authors of the article say that because "potential cellular changes caused by FCMs, and in particular, those with the capacity to disrupt hormones, are not even being considered in routine toxicology analysis," existing regulations are likely inadequate.

That's something to think about next time you reach for "organic" ketchup, soup, yoghurt, or produce in a plastic container.

You can read about the article in this press release, and these articles from The Guardian, CTV News, or The Globe and Mail. And you can pay to download the article here. The authors are associated with the Zurich-based Food Packaging Forum.