OUR PLASTICS DILEMMA 
by April Anderson
​

visit these websites
to learn more
and become 
an advocate

environmental defense
Government of Canada
ecojustice


A FEW NUMBERS 
TO THINK ABOUT
To start, we are not here to shame, we are here to educate ourselves.  The reason why there are only a few numbers chosen is to just get a glimpse of the magnitude of the amount of plastic in our lives and the cost of convenience.

75

years ago
mass production
of plastics began

32


predicted number of years
when the number of plastics
SURPASSES
the number of creatures
who call the ocean home

1 MILLION


​water bottles
are purchased
every minute
globally

60


the average amount
of grocery bags
a family of 4
​brings home
every month

100,000

yearly recorded
​marine creature deaths
from plastic entanglement

1 MILLION

estimated yearly
bird deaths due to
plastic pollution

24 MILLION


disposable diapers
in Canadian
​landfills
daily

91


​percentage
of plastics
not recyclable

1


The number it takes
to make a difference
towards a global shift 
for positive change. 


​It's not impossible to live a life without plastic but I guess it all depends on what you are willing to give up to live with less. Take a tour of your home and look for the plastic, you will be surprised to find how much of it we actually live with. We work on it, watch it, cook with it, talk to friends with it, It's in our fridges, every small appliance and electronics piece we own. It holds our food, shampoo, soap and toothpaste. We sleep under it, wash with it, clean our homes with it, wipe our babies bottoms with it, we wear it.  The amount of plastic in our lives is out of control
​

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS


​to break up with plastic
​

​
​It's Time to Find Balance!
Unless you are planning on living off the grid, without any of the comforts created for us in the 21 century, you are going to have to live with plastic.but you can create a balance by following these 4 R's to remove much of the unnecessary single-use plastic
REUSE
the produce & grocery bags
A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade so make it a habit to always have a reusable grocery bag handy wherever you go. Try to purchase bags that are made from natural fiber and not plastic (I am not rewarded for showcasing the brands on this page)
There a lot of single use items made with plastic we use every day that can be switched over to a more sustainable choice.  The alternative might seem like an inconvenience at first but all we are really doing is breaking a habit .... the habit of what we have been conditioned to think as convenient in this fast pace world we have created.
​
Yes, the single use coffee cups are recyclable but how many actually are being recycled.  You are normally out and about when you are ordering your 'to go' cup of joe and when it comes time to toss, it seems garbage cans are more accessible than recycling bins.

Something to think about.  If you feel like having a cup of coffee while you are out, take the time to enjoy it.  Go in to your favourite cafe, order in a china cup and sit for a few minutes and enjoy just being.

​REDUCE
the plastic package
Individually wrapped items create huge waste that is not recyclable. By purchasing items that are not individually wrapped you automatically cut your plastic waste in half.  That is a huge accomplishment!

​RETHINK
where you shop
​
  • SHOP BULK STORES, LOCAL SMALL RETAILERS and FARMERS MARKETS - You get to control the use of packaging, bringing your own or returning bottles to the store or stand for reuse.
​
and how you shop

REFUSE

to be influenced
Advertising is meant to sell a product by offering a you, the consumer a solution to your problem.  That solution is just a quick fix without stating the obvious we choose not to see.  The convenience of plastic leaves an everlasting problem as it doesn't disappear as fast as we use and discard it and even though it looks like it is decomposing, little mini plastic particles are with us forever.  We are eating it and breathing it, our ecosystem is slowly being suffocated by it.

RESOURCES

London Environmental Network
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Zero Waste Canada
Going Zero Waste