Plastic products are sold to us as harmless convenience items. Plastic bags, food containers, candy wrappers and all kinds of packaging are meant to make your life easier on the go or to protect your purchases from damage. It’s a cheap and forgettable addition to our increasingly complex lives. But of course, these petrochemical by-products are by no means harmless and are now produced in such abundance that we are drowning in plastic pollution at every stage of the plastic life cycle.
The price of this supposedly convenient lifestyle of excess and disposal includes high costs, and the harmful effects of the plastics industry are not equally felt. Indigenous, Black, and other communities denied equity bear the greatest burden from plastic pollution.
plastic making
We can’t talk about plastic without talking about where it comes from and where it comes from. 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels.. Yes. These are the same fossil fuels that are warming the planet, causing catastrophic climate change, extreme weather events, and endangering ecosystems and communities. Therefore, plastic waste that remains in our neighborhoods, in the stomachs of whales, or left in landfills forever is literally the main culprit of the climate.
Plastic production using climate-destroying petrochemicals is just the beginning. The creation of plastic products includes the use of: 16,000 chemicalsContains benzene (a carcinogen known to cause cancer) that puts facility workers and nearby communities at risk of health effects. Earlier this year, Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency after emissions from a plastics plant were so high that it caused significant damage. Facility Temporarily Closed. This resulted in an outbreak of disease in the community without prior warning from plastic plant operators or the government.
plastic use
The chemicals used to make plastic remain well beyond the production stage. When we use plastic products, especially when it comes to food, we expose ourselves to numerous chemicals that have been linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and more. Believe it or not, science still hasn’t caught up with the long-term effects plastics can have on our health, but the UN Environment Program has listed 10 groups of chemicals they consider to be harmful. “It is a major concern because it is highly toxic and has the potential to migrate or be released from plastics.”
surprisingly, Microplastics are also found in the air we breathe and the food we eat.The item will now appear in: blood and breast milk. Plastics in both macro and micro forms are polluting our bodies, once again questioning whether the convenience the industry provides us is really worth it.
plastic disposal
Plastic disposal is a roller coaster of confusion and frustration. Governments and industry sell us on recycling, but according to a 2020 report from Greenpeace Canada, plastic recycling isn’t a big deal. In fact, less than 9% of the plastic ever made is recycled, leaving literally vast amounts of plastic waste ending up in our communities, landfills, inside our bodies, or elsewhere where it continues to pollute. Plastic recycling is actually a scam.
Even though recycling has a better track record, recycling programs or waste disposal programs in general are not available to everyone. In many rural, remote and flyover communities in Canada, residents rely on taking waste to landfills or incinerating it. In Nova Scotia Landfills and dump sites are more likely to be located near Mi’kmaw and Black communities.Exposure to increased contaminants in the field. Whether left in landfills or incinerated unnoticed, many of the chemicals in plastic leach into the air, water and land, continuing the cycle of pollution. that Neskantaga First Nation It is one of many indigenous communities experiencing this exact dilemma. Communities facing the diverse impacts of colonialism have been subject to boil water advisories for decades, resulting in years of plastic waste left behind without having to rely on bottled water. With no recycling or proper disposal facilities, communities are left with all the waste and little support.
“What if humans designed products and systems that celebrated the richness of human creativity, culture, and productivity? Is it so intelligent and safe that it leaves an ecological footprint that our species will rejoice in rather than lament?” The following quote from William McDonough is: Cradle to Cradle: Changing the way we make thingsshows what a future without plastic waste would look like. What if we had done things differently? What if there was an economy based on cradle-to-cradle reuse instead of the severe cradle-to-cradle disruption we are experiencing now? How do I get out of this mess?
Negotiations for a global plastics treaty are currently underway in Busan, South Korea, and it is no exaggeration to say that this could be a game-changing moment in addressing the harmful effects of plastics from production to disposal. Affected community members, political decision-makers, industry leaders, environmental groups and activists from around the world come together to discuss and agree on a global treaty.
Members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation are in Busan this week.I also attended the INC4 Plastics Treaty negotiations held in Ottawa earlier this year. A state of emergency was declared at a meeting in Ottawa after pollution from a plastics factory in the community led to illness and even hospitalizations. They continue to advocate to drive long-term solutions that can create cleaner, healthier communities for themselves and many others. Their message is clear. “Indigenous peoples must be included as equal partners at the table in all efforts to address the plastic pollution crisis.”
Greenpeace’s role is to tackle plastic pollution at its source and ensure that the rights and care of affected communities are prioritized. We are working with our allies in the global Break Free from Plastic movement to demand a treaty that:
- End plastic pollution throughout the entire process from production to disposal to protect the environment and human health.
- Set a legally binding target to reduce plastic production by at least 75% by 2040 to stay below the 1.5°C threshold.
- Phase out single-use plastics, starting with the worst-causing items, like plastic bags.
- Supporting a just transition to a low-carbon, zero-waste, reuse-based economy.
- Be firmly rooted in a human rights-based approach that prioritizes indigenous rights and knowledge, human health, and justice for all affected communities and reduces inequalities.
As individuals, it’s not our fault that things are this way, and we shouldn’t be the ones to feel guilty for not being able to avoid plastic in our daily lives. We are part of a broken system that supports polluting corporations more than people. This makes life difficult in many ways and makes living an intentional, sustainable life even more difficult. But imagine the possibilities if we succeed in this important negotiation. Reducing 75% plastic in your home from the grocery store of the future will feel incredible and overflowing with joy. Now you can imagine it. I hope you can too.
