Vancouver s Solution to Plastic Pollution By Michael DeLano

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1 Vancouver s Solution to Plastic Pollution By Michael DeLano Something is seriously wrong. BC only recycles 27.5 kg per person while my last hometown clocks in at 104kg per person and their consumption is similar! The world is swimming in discarded plastic and BC is not doing enough to help save the environment from plastics. With mankind throwing away enough plastic each year to circle the earth four times and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch now twice the size of Texas with plastic pieces outnumbering sea life six to one, something must be done and now. I m an Australian native turned Vancouverite and I m shocked at the difference between recycling attitudes and output. Amongst my friends, it seems an everyday occurrence to buy a bottle of water and leave it behind in a garbage bin out of convenience. This quest for convenience has created a throwaway society, and yet in Australia, recycling is 4 times better. Vancouver is facing a problem that Australia has already solved. Having researched recycling practices in Sydney, there appears to be three causes of this discrepancy: Convenience, Campaign, and Culture. It may be that Vancouver needs a three pronged attack on how to improve recycling. The short term solution: Make it Convenient By improving the ease with which Canadians can recycle their plastics, improving the effectiveness of recycling campaigns, and educating students to reinforce a culture of recycling, as a society, we can ensure there is a reduction in plastic waste. In British Columbia, the bins are small and often overflow, promoting a stop start recycling behaviour when the bins become too full. The small plastic boxes are a deterrent to regular recycling behaviour. It is inconvenient for the homeowner to carry the bins to the pickup area and time consuming for the driver to get out of the truck and sort the recyclables. By making recycling convenient, Australia is able to recycle 4 times more per person than British Columbia. Australia is convenient in the kitchen, convenient with their large wheelie

2 bins, and convenient for the collectors picking up the recyclables. By making things easy and convenient every step of the way, Australia has engaged its population in recycling. The large capacity, brightly colour-coded bins can hold 8 times more recyclables than the BC and are collected on a two week cycle. Convenience! Because the bins are large, it s easy to place recyclables inside and rarely become too full. The collection process is quick, as the large bins are lifted by an arm into a truck without the driver needing to get out of the vehicle. As shown here, one truck picks up the plastics and the truck behind picks up the paper. The bins have wheels and can easily be brought to and from the curb side. Let s think big! Big bins, bold colours, and better practice. With larger, easily identifiable bins, Canadians will find recycling a breeze. People want to recycle without the hassle, and this simple improvement removes the physical restrictions from recycling.

3 The medium term: Persuasive Recycling Campaigns Advertising can be an effective means to influence a culture of recycling. The BC campaigns shown below campaigns in Canada are often abstract and do not connect well with everyday people. They often dissociate people from the action of recycling and resort to cartoons to convey their messages. Telling people that recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions does little to spur a movement as many people do not understand the true implications of the gasses. Sadly, this is the approach Vancouver currently takes. The few advertisements they do make are wasted on vague information that does not inspire the everyday citizen. In contrast, Australian campaigns are all about what and how to recycle. A call to action presented in several different languages.

4 Engaging families and specifically targeting kids while providing practical advice that is easily implemented into everyday life. Advertising campaigns need to include kids and families working together to recycle. This will be a call to action with necessary and relevant information targeted at helping the process run smoothly. Long term: Build a positive feedback loop recycling culture The Australian Education campaigns shown below begin in the classroom, extend to the community, encourage commitment and reward performance. Beginning in Kindergarten, Australian children are taught to recycle and thus pressure their parents into doing the same. Simple campaigns that inspire students such as lunches unwrapped, where students are encouraged to bring their food in recyclable containers rather than environmentally damaging plastic wrap make students passionate about conservation and involved in sustainable practices.

5 What we need in BC is education for sustainability with elementary school workshops to create a legacy of successful community engagement. It is essential to create educational programs that inspire individuals, students, and organizations to actively care for their local environment. To reduce the outflow of plastic into our oceans and ecosystems, a large social change must be made. By making recycling convenient for citizens, supporting our actions with relevant campaigns, and changing our social culture to think sustainably, we can solve the issue of plastic pollution in the environment around us. If we increase awareness of waste and sustainability issues, students will be encouraged to influence others, and this will generate a major shift to more appropriate behaviours creating a positive feedback loop. Teach the kids about recycling. They pressure their parents. The cycle.. and the recycle continues.

6 Work Cited Ankit Mishra Follow. Plastic Pollution Presentation By AnkitMishra. LinkedIn SlideShare, 22 Oct. 2013, pollution presentation by ankitmishra. Accessed 1 Apr D'Alessandro, Nicole. 22 Facts About Plastic Pollution (And 10 Things We Can Do About It). EcoWatch, 13 Mar. 2017, facts about plastic pollution and 10 thingswe can do about it html. Accessed 1 Apr EnviroMentors. Keep NSW Beautiful, knswb.org.au/our programs/enviromentors/. Accessed 1 Apr Making a Difference Together. Recycle BC, recyclebc.ca/. Accessed 1 Apr Making a Difference Together. Recycle BC, recyclebc.ca/. Accessed 1 Apr Plastic Statistics. Ocean Crusaders, 14 Jan. 2015, oceancrusaders.org/plastic crusades/plasticstatistics/. Accessed 1 Apr data/assets/image/0010/10324/4xbins.jpg. data/assets/image/0010/10324/4xbins.jpg _gen/derivatives/landscape_804/a6 recycle jpg.jpg _diane_macdonald.jpg a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone feed data/007f67ad bf02 49cabda5 e608a5c2b624.jpg/r0_89_1772_1090_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg 20/recycling woes.jpg 0/recycling.JPG w_logo_1.png