THE FIGHT AGAINST PLASTIC POLLUTION - PART 3; THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY STRIKES BACK

Last week, we discussed the plastics scene in Canada as it relates to the federal plastics ban, called the Single-Use Plastic Prohibition Regulations. We also discussed how the ban was deemed unlawful in a federal court case, as well as the reason behind this decision (plastics industry makes lots of $$), and the basis of this decision (which was essentially done by invalidating the inclusion of “Plastic Manufactured Items” in CEPA’s list of toxic substances: Schedule 1). 

Of course, this all connects to ocean ecosystems and wildlife health because plastics lasts… well… forever. And since it lasts forever, it’s only a matter of time before it makes its way to the oceans (which it has always done, in MASSIVE quantities). Have you seen a map of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? *In my best Chandler Bing impression* Could it BE any bigger (yes, it actually grows everyday, unfortunately)?!? That thing is as big as several countries put together! And even when plastic does get broken down, it only breaks down into microplastics and nanoplastics, which end up not only in the bodies of ocean wildlife, but our own bodies as well. So, all around terrible, right? But the question remains… why and how did the Canadian courts determine that plastic manufactured items are not toxic, especially if there is so much proof that plastic IS in fact toxic? 

Well… it’s complicated. There are actually many different classifications of plastic, all with varying sets of additives, chemical compounds, etc. However, the most common types of plastic are numbered 1-7, with #7 being “other”. So really, there are 6 common types of plastic. Each type of plastic is specialized for certain things in our day to day life. For example, the #1 plastic is called polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, and it is most commonly used in plastic water bottles. The #2 plastic is high density polyethylene, or HDPE, and it is commonly used in laundry detergent jugs. There are hundreds of examples and I can go on and on, but you get the point.

When the federal courts deemed the classification of Plastic Manufactured Items as “toxic”, the plastics industry argued that there is not sufficient evidence to determine that EVERY type of plastic is toxic, and therefore, they claimed that “Plastic Manufactured Items” was too broad of a term. Except, there is evidence that all types of plastic, #1-7, all contain toxic ingredients. But evidently, it’s not enough for the courts. That’s why the Canadian government is currently (as of September 23, 2024) appealing the decision. There is no such thing as non-toxic plastic… just less toxic plastic. All plastic contains toxic ingredients. But we’ve only studied the toxicity of a handful of the toxic ingredients. We know that BPA, DBP, and DEHP (among others) are among the toxic chemicals that are used in many of the common types of plastic. However, there are many other ingredients in plastic that haven’t been studied extensively. If so many ingredients in plastic are known to be toxic, you can only imagine how many more there are that we just don’t know about!

The reality of the situation is that there just haven’t been enough studies that look at the toxicity of every ingredient in plastic (and there are LOTS of ingredients in plastic). It would take a very long time to gather enough data and information to declare, with absolute certainty, that every type of plastic is toxic. And up until we get to that point, the plastics industry would have been allowed to continue producing record-high amounts of plastic year after year… similar to how they’re allowed to continue producing the banned types of plastic until the appeal is complete. 

The plastics industry is very deliberate in how they delay action and refuse to limit their production. And by the time we actually gather enough information to ban plastic, they would have already changed the chemical formula to make a “new” type of plastic, which we would then have to test the ingredients to determine the toxicity of those. And then by that time, they would’ve already released another type of plastic… and so on and so forth. 

They want to play a game that is rigged in their favour. However, it’s not a game. Their actions affect the lives of current and future human beings and marine wildlife. Our lives are not things they can play around with.

If there’s one thing that I want more people to understand, I want to reiterate that there is no such thing as non-toxic plastic. Just less toxic plastic.

Of course, I can’t end this post without stating a reason for optimism. And no matter how bleak my posts sometimes seem, there’s ALWAYS a reason to be positive about a situation. In terms of the plastic ban in Canada and where it currently stands, there is hope. The government has stood up to the plastics industry in the past, and it looks as though they will continue to do so throughout the appeal process. This is in huge part to environmental organizations such as WWF, Oceana Canada, Greenpeace, and many others that have all put the pressure on the government. And yes, Dolphin Dude helps as well. Communicating these issues to the public is a huge part of addressing the problem, and I honestly look forward to seeing the progress of our single-use plastic reduction measures, and how effective they CAN be.