DOES THIS PROBLEM HAVE A SOLUTION OR NOT?

DOES THIS PROBLEM HAVE A SOLUTION OR NOT?

First of all, I need to emphasize that this entry is not garbage, it is ABOUT garbage. Recent headlines about the Philippines returning our un-recycled garbage raised a lot of questions and my research led to some interesting information.

Canada agreed to the return of 2,450 tons of trash that were shipped to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014. The 103 containers holding the trash were shipped to the Philippines and most of it has remained in the ports of Manila and Subic ever since. Now Canada says it will haul the garbage back across the Pacific and pay the full cost of the operation. 

Questions: Why would the Philippines agree to importing garbage in the first place; they do reuse plastic, but most of the garbage was not plastic? Why would it sit on the dock for five or six years before a decision was made? What is Canada now going to do with the returned product? What does the operation cost? Does any government agency have any long term solution to the accumulation of garbage problem?

For decades, Canada and other developed countries had been selling their waste plastic to China, where it was sorted, cleaned, processed and re-used in the country’s massive manufacturing industry. That all changed on Jan. 1, 2018, when China began refusing shipments of a wide variety of plastic waste products. That was the first major blow to the “ship your garbage elsewhere” practise.

A recent study states that Canadians produce more garbage per capita than any other country on earth. Canadians generate approximately 31 million tonnes of garbage a year (and only recycle about 30 per cent of that material). Thus, each Canadian generates approximately 2.7 kg or about 5.5 lb. of garbage each day.

The landfills around all major cities in Canada continue to be overused and the consequences are still not completely felt. All landfills leak and consequently all of the materials that leech into the soil ultimately find their way into the ground water that will feed our water supplies. In time, landfills will contaminate most cities water supplies. 

Current steps to minimize garbage are token attempts at best. Recycling is a small endeavour that attempts to separate useable refuse (plastics, paper and rubber) from decomposable waste. It is not successful as noted by our shipping our recyclable wastes to foreign countries who are now shouting “Whoa!” 

On the local scene, the city of Calgary further illustrates the problem. Last year, it cost Calgary tax payers nearly $300,000 to rent semi-trailers to house the hard-to-reprocess plastic material, about 1,600 tons filling 100 storage units. The space required to store them is growing at the pace of two to three trailer units a month. And since we can’t ship it overseas anymore, now what?

Despite the seriousness and long term effects of just the “plastic problem” politicians and government agencies constantly dance around the issues. Sure, banning plastic straws is a small step, but the inability to pass strict and unpopular legislation is a hallmark of government sleep walking, again. Perhaps they should consider the decisions made in Rwanda and Kenya where the penalty for the import or use of plastic bags is jail time. Who would have expected two African nations to take the matter that seriously?

If you have any good ideas relative to the problem get in touch with your MP! In the meantime, I will begin stockpiling Ziplock bags by the carton, just in case our government eventually decides to make a firm stand on a critical problem!