Drop off boxes at Limestone Eye Care (left) and Bayview Optometry (right) for the recycling of disposable contact lenses through the Bausch+Lomb /TerraCycle program.

Two and a half years of pandemic living has left the planet with a major plastic hangover. Much of the eight million tonnes of COVID-related trash churned out globally in the first two years of the pandemic was medical waste, but in the sweatpants-clad blur of back-to-back lockdowns, there was also a sharp rise in the single-use plastics involved in getting burrito bowls, groceries and all-things-Amazon delivered to our front doors. Even before the pandemic, 805 million takeout containers were dished out in Canada in 2019, as were 5.8 billion straws and 15.5 billion plastic grocery bags. Now Canada’s federal government is giving businesses until the end of 2023 to stop selling six hard-to-recycle single-use plastic items, including polystyrene and black plastic takeout containers, cutlery, grocery bags and straws. It’s an important first step that should eliminate more than 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste, but environmental advocates point out a troubling fact: the ban is aimed at just roughly 5% of Canada’s swelling plastic stream. What about the rest of it? As the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted in its latest global plastic report, released in June, “Plastic waste is projected to almost triple by 2060, with half of all plastic waste still being landfilled and less than a fifth recycled.” “Less than a fifth” may be a generous estimate. In late April, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a first-of-its-kind investigation into the recycling claims made by Big Oil. “For more than half a century,” Bonta said in a statement, “the plastics industry has engaged in an aggressive campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis.” The reality, he added, is that the vast majority of plastic cannot be recycled. The bombshell investigation was announced on the heels of a damning report released by the U.S. Department of Energy a few days earlier, which concluded that only 5% of plastic has actually been getting a second life through recycling. That’s particularly bad news considering the United States generates more plastic waste than any other country. But the whole world is having a tough time figuring out what to do with its plastic.

For more than half a century, the plastics industry has engaged in an aggressive campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis.

–California Attorney General Rob Bonta

Fortunately, there’s also been a surge in grassroots reuse-and-refill businesses around the globe. While the refillable mugs and reusable bags of the zero-waste movement were vilified in the early days of the pandemic, they’re back on the upswing. Independent start-ups like Suppli in Toronto and DeliverZero in New York have been tackling the takeout waste crisis by offering reusable container services to local restaurants. Now some major fast-food chains are promising to get in on the action. In a partnership with TerraCycle’s circular packaging service, Loop, refillable takeout containers may be coming to a Burger King near you. At least if you live in the United Kingdom or New Jersey, where BK outlets will be trialling deposit return systems for refillable burger “clamshell” packaging, soda cups and more. In Canada, BK’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International (RBI), partnered with Loop and Tupperware Brands to pilot reusable food packaging containers for the Tim Hortons chain late last year. RBI isn’t the only corporation scrambling to meet public commitments to shift to fully recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025. Similar pledges have been made by more than 1,000 organizations. In May, Body Shop announced that it’s reviving plans to roll out refill stations across the U.S., and Dove is now offering deodorant in slick refillable containers. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola promised to make a quarter of its beverage containers “refillable/returnable glass or plastic bottles” by 2030. Whether corporate efforts to introduce refillable containers go beyond novelty or pilot projects remains to be seen. On World Refill Day, June 16, more than 400 organizations released an open letter to the CEOs of five of the biggest consumer goods companies (Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever and Procter and Gamble), urging them to support “transparent, ambitious and accountable reuse and refill systems.” In Canada, dozens of environmental groups and zero-waste businesses are calling for increased government support for reuse-and-refill initiatives. Sarah King, Greenpeace Canada’s head of oceans and plastics campaign, says that the federal government has been “stalling on fully embracing refill and reuse funding.” King says, “Canada will only meet its zero plastic waste by 2030 goal if it acts now to cut production of all non-essential plastics and creates a strategy to scale reuse and refill infrastructure nation-wide to accelerate a transition to truly zero waste, low carbon systems.” The OECD agrees that bans on a “tiny share” of plastic waste will get us only so far. Its earlier February report on plastic concluded that “bans and taxes on single-use plastics exist in more than 120 countries but are not doing enough to reduce overall pollution.” The OECD is calling for “greater use of instruments such as Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for packaging and durables, landfill taxes, deposit-refund and Pay-as-You-Throw systems.”

Bans and taxes on single-use plastics exist in more than 120 countries but are not doing enough to reduce overall pollution.

–OECD

While announcing Canada’s new plastic ban June 20, Environment and Climate Change Canada didn’t mention any of the above, but the ministry did note that “moving toward a more circular economy for plastics could reduce carbon emissions by 1.8 megatonnes annually, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create approximately 42,000 jobs by 2030.” In a sea of despair over rising plastic pollution, some hopeful signs are floating to the top. As of July 1, India is banning a long list of single-use plastics, including plastic wrap, cutlery and plastic sticks. Austria is mandating that 25% of beverage bottles be refillable by 2025, while Chile is mandating a 30% quota. Back in California, ExxonMobil put out a statement denying the attorney general’s charges that it’s been misleading the public on the recyclability of plastics: “We are focused on solutions and meritless allegations like these distract from the important collaborative work that is underway to enhance waste management and improve circularity.” Of course, Exxon has also denied that it’s known about climate change for 40 years while spending millions on funding climate-change-denying think tanks. Judith Enck, president of the environmental group Beyond Plastics and a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator, told Inside Climate News that California’s investigation is “very significant.” “[It has] the potential to finally hold plastic producers accountable for the immense environmental damage caused by plastics.” A version of this article appears in the summer issue of Corporate Knights magazine.

Easy tweaks that could have a big collective impact

Can you single-handedly avert the climate crisis through plastic-straw abstinence? No. Are 100 fossil fuel companies responsible for 70 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gasses ever? Yes. Does this mean you should live out the apocalypse in a bacchanal of wanton waste because nothing you do matters anyway? You could—or you could take a few tangible steps that will actually make a difference when combined with other people doing the same. “In Venezuela, we have a saying: Every grain of sand builds a mountain,” says Alejandra Schrader, author of The Low Carbon Cookbook. “Individual actions can be so powerful as a collective effort.”

1. Slow down on the steaks

“Food has a vast impact on climate change,” says Schrader. “The latest science says 25 per cent of all greenhouse emissions come from food, from production to consumption and then food waste.” If you do one thing to address this, try to cut down on meat and dairy. “If you look at the carbon footprint of any ruminant—cows, goats, sheep—it’s off the charts because of the way they digest their food,” explains Schrader. “It’s called ‘enteric fermentation,’ or as I describe it to kids, the way they burp and fart really damages the environment.” Schrader’s diet is plant-based, but she knows that isn’t doable for everyone. Instead, she advocates only having red meat on your plate three days a week, not seven. “Even if you cut your red meat intake by 50 per cent, you can eventually cut your own carbon footprint by 40 per cent,” she says. “This includes cutting your intake, but also sourcing it from sustainable, preferably regenerative, farmers.”

2. Serve out-of-season strawberries

While a carton of fresh raspberries can be a balm to the soul in mid-January, it’s a nightmare for the environment. “Berries, blackberries and strawberries especially, are real offenders because they grow under very specific conditions and they need to be transported by air, which is horrendous for carbon emissions,” says Schrader. Ditto asparagus, and tomatoes grown in hothouses, which generate huge amounts of greenhouse gas. She suggests growing vegetables of your own in the summer—tomatoes are doable even on a condo balcony—and old school preserving and canning to use up veggies over the winter. You can also do this by shopping at farmer’s markets, or subscribing to a local sustainable agriculture box.

3. Eat (all) your vegetables

We waste an average 40 per cent of the food that comes into our homes. That’s why Schrader’s pet peeve is when people grab a bunch of carrots in the grocery store, rip off the greens on top and discard them. “There is so much good stuff in those carrot greens, like antioxidants,” she says, pointing out that they make a great chimichurri or salsa verde. Veggies like beets, radishes, cauliflower and broccoli all have delicious, good-for-you greens that can be used in salads or roasted. “Stop peeling stuff,” she advises, too. (She recently served plantain peel “shredded beef” at a dinner attended by the President of Colombia and Jeff Bezos.) “Even strawberry tops are highly edible,” she says. One way to redeem those raspberries you bought out of season, perhaps?

4. Spend your clothing budget wisely

While we’ve all gotten the message that fast fashion is bad—not just from an environmental standpoint, but also in terms of its human impact—many of us have been tempted by the lure of a “conscious” or “eco” collection from our mall staples. “The overconsumption is going to outweigh any benefit from buying a slightly better T-shirt from a brand that’s still ultimately causing a lot of problems,” says Georgina Wilson-Powell, author of Is It Really Green?. She suggests choosing local designers who prioritize waste reduction and circular production processes, and finding second-hand options via vintage stores or online consignment platforms like Depop or Poshmark.

5. Switch to a shampoo bar

Our beauty cabinets are one of the trickiest places to make sustainable switches, thanks to all the plastic beauty product packaging and ingredients from far-flung locales. One easy win is a shampoo bar. “For every bar you use, you save two plastic bottles,” says Wilson-Powell, noting that the category has come a long way from the drying, latherless options you may have tried in the past. “There’s one called Ethique, which is a solid triangle you can melt at home, so it turns into a liquid and you still get that bottle-with-lather feel.” Another quick switch is ditching single-use razors, which can’t be recycled because of the plastic/metal mix. “Swap to something like a stainless-steel razor,” she says. “They no longer look like something a man in the 1950s would use. They look lovely beside your bath.”

6. Minimize your digital carbon footprint

Not all pollution comes from tangible objects. “The carbon emissions from the information and communication technology sector are as big as the airline industry,” says Shashi Kant, director of the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program at the University of Toronto. Each time you send an email or watch a TikTok, a tiny amount of energy is used to power your device and the WiFi, not to mention the carbon emissions from the servers that house all that information. Shashi recommends turning your computer off when you’re not using it (which seems obvious but when was the last time you did that?!), unsubscribing from newsletters you don’t read, blocking video auto-play and choosing analog over digital where possible, i.e., a real book versus an e-reader.

7. Learn what actually goes in your recycling bin

The bad news? Canadians only recycle 20.6 per cent of our waste. The better news? There are some easy ways you can help boost that rate. First, stop putting things in your municipal recycling bin that don’t belong there. Not properly cleaning or rinsing recyclables is one of the primary reasons items you think you’re recycling end up in landfill instead, says Alex Payne, North American public relations manager for TerraCycle. “The second is improper sortation,” which is when items not accepted for municipal recycling (like batteries, aerosols and plastic bags) are mixed in with recyclables. Become well-versed in what your municipality does actually accept, and find alternate ways to recycle the things they don’t, like using TerraCycle’s programs for beauty and oral care packaging or snack and candy wrappers.

8. Find the easy wins

“There isn’t a single, simple solution for everyone,” says Wilson-Powell, who advocates tracking what you buy and do each week, and using that to find alternatives that work for you. “Nothing has no impact, and you have to make judgment calls.” For instance, while she eats vegetarian at home, Wilson-Powell would order locally caught sustainable fish at a restaurant rather than a dish made from quinoa and chia seeds imported from across the world. Give yourself little challenges you can easily achieve, like Car Free Sunday, swapping one flight for a train journey on your next vacation, or hanging your workout gear to dry to cut down on microplastic shed.