Plastic bags
Vancouver School Board Introduces High School Sustainability Course
SOLARIS, a 4 credit, year long course in sustainability, is being offered to Vancouver students in grades 11 and 12. The course will focus on a range of topics from housing and transportation to forestry and fisheries. Read more here.Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash
ABOARD THE ALGUITA, 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii — In this remote patch of the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from any national boundary, the detritus of human life is collecting in a swirling current so large that it defies precise measurement.
Light bulbs, bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and tiny pieces of plastic, each the size of a grain of rice, inhabit the Pacific garbage patch, an area of widely dispersed trash that doubles in size every decade and is now believed to be roughly twice the size of Texas.
Now and Forever: The Styrofoam Dilemma
It's in your plastic cutlery, it's under your meat, it's the lid on your latte. And polystyrene, a.k.a. plastic No. 6, is in your world -- for at least 200 years longer than you will be -- clogging up storm drains and landfills.
So why is this tenacious product, better known by its trademark Styrofoam, still being used to wrap everything from green peppers to sirloin steaks?
FVRD and Abbotsford Start the Phase-out of Plastic Bags
The Fraser Valley Regional District, with the support of Abbotsford city council, is planning to wean residents off plastic shopping bags.
Metro Vancouver recently asked the city to write a letter support of a "ban" against single-use plastic bags.
While many of the councillors voiced their approval for the need to get rid of the bags, they prefer it to be a phasing-out process.
Nelson Council Hears Plastic Bag Pitch
Every piece of plastic that has ever been produced still exists, a Rossland-based environmentalist told city council recently.
It's a legacy no one wants to leave behind, said Tracey Saxby, science communication and education consultant with Greener Footprints.
Canadians Giving Up Plastic Bags
Across Canada, municiplaities and businesses are making efforts to reduse the use of plastic bags. Several grocery stores across the country have started charging 5 cents per bag as an incentive to bring your own, BC recently distributed free reusable cloth bags at their stores and in June 2009, Toronto will be the first major municipality to implement a by-law banning plastic bags. Read more here.Toronto's Waste Reduction Plan
Toronto is currently devising a waste reduction plan that targets more than just plastic bottles. Also on the list are disposable coffee cups, polysyream food containers and plastic bags. The city is considering introducing a combination of measures including, a ban on some forms of packaging, a tax on plastic bags, and the indroducition of deposits on items such as batteries. The city intends to divert 70% of the city's waste from the landfill by 2010. Read more here.Seattle Imposes Bag Fee and Foam Ban
Seattle City Council has voted to impose a 20 cent fee on paper and plastic bags in all grocery, drug, and convenience stores, beginning January 1, 2009. The city has also decided to ban plastic foam food and drink containers.Plastic Bag Reduction Strategy in Fremantle, Australia
In 2004, the City of Fremantle, Australia (population 26,000) adopted a strategy aimed at drastically reducing the use of plastic bags, which the city has made available on its website. The Strategy to Achieve a Plastic Bag Free City includes a timeline, tools to achieve its goals (ie. education programs, reusable bag alternatives, branding of the campaign), plan of action, and budget.
