Control of Single Use Plastics

This assignment discusses the problem of single use plastics and the Canadian government's plan to ban them. It explores ways to change people's behavior, technology and economics to reduce plastic waste. The solutions include using biodegradable materials, proper waste management, and financial incentives. The assignment also highlights the impact of plastic pollution on the environment and the economy. The subject is Renaissance Engineering and the course code is ENG 1101. The document type is an assignment and the assignment type is problem-solving.

CONTROL OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS 1
ENG 1101 Renaissance Engineering Assignment Four (Fall 2019)
Due: October 3, 2019 at 10:30 a.m.
Name: _______________________ Student number:_____________________________
Overview
This assignment is designed to show that you understand the steps in the creative problem-
solving process, and to allow you to deploy some of the tools and approaches we have shared in
class. We provide some general background (using web sources) that should set you in the right
direction, but you should find additional reliable material online (please cite reference sources –
see note at end for format). The marks for each section of the response are shown in brackets
(total marks 45).
Problem Statement
The Canadian government announced its plans to ban harmful single-use plastics and hold
companies responsible for plastic waste. [1]
Plastic pollution is a global challenge that requires immediate action. Plastic waste ends up in our
landfills and incinerators, litters our parks and beaches, and pollutes our rivers, lakes, and
oceans, entangling and killing turtles, fish, and marine mammals.
Less than 10 percent of the plastic used in Canada gets recycled. Without a change in course,
Canadians will throw away an estimated $11 billion worth of plastic materials each year by
2030. We’ve reached a defining moment, and this is a problem we can’t afford to ignore.
On June 10th, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada is taking
additional steps to reduce Canada’s plastic waste, support innovation, and promote the use of
affordable and safe alternatives. (https://vimeo.com/361045704). Working with (…..Lassonde
students) governments and businesses across Canada, the Government of Canada will:
▪ ban harmful single-use plastics as early as 2021 (such as plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates,
and stir sticks) where supported by scientific evidence and warranted, and take other steps to
reduce pollution from plastic products and packaging

CONTROL OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS 2
▪ work with provinces and territories to introduce standards and targets for companies that
manufacture plastic products or sell items with plastic packaging, so they become responsible for
their plastic waste.
These measures will be grounded in scientific evidence and will align, where appropriate, with
similar actions being taken in the European Union and other countries. They will also support the
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s development of an action plan to implement
the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste.
Renaissance One students have been asked to use their creative problem-solving skills to provide
some ideas on alternative ways to address the problem given the short time frame (2021), noting
solutions can:
• a) Change people’s behaviors by stopping them from using one-time-use plastics (for
example through legislation, education or training)
• b) Change the technology of the plastic products itself, by changing how the products are
made, or used (for example changing how the products are used or what they are made from)
• c) Change the economics of using one-time-use plastics, by providing financial incentives
that change the current economics material (for example providing a financial incentive to
encourage adoption of an alternate solution or a financial penalty for the use of one-time plastic)
2

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Background reading
Fighting for trash-free seas
https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/plastics-in-the-ocean/
Everything You Need To Know About Canada’s Proposed Single-Use Plastics Ban
https://www.chatelaine.com/news/canada-single-use-plastic-ban-faq/
Canada’s planned single-use plastics ban: What we know so far and what you can do to
recycle better
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadas-single-use-plastics-ban-what-we-
know-so-far-and-what-you-can/
Single-Use Plastic Bans
https://www.plastics.ca/PlasticTopics/IndustryIssues/PlasticBagBans
Here Are The Plastics Likely To Be Banned In Canada, And The Alternatives
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/single-use-plastics-ban-
canada_ca_5d011940e4b0985c419660d3
Assignment:
A specific issue highlighted by the Prime Minister is the one-time-use plastic waste that makes
its ways into our oceans:
“With the longest coastline in the world and one-quarter of the world’s freshwater, Canada has
an individual responsibility – and opportunity – to lead in reducing plastic pollution. From
launching the Ocean Plastics Charter at the 2018 G7 Summit to investing in new Canadian
technologies that turn plastic waste into valuable resources, we are doing just that. Together, we
can make our economy stronger and take an important step toward protecting wildlife and the
places Canadians love.” [1]
1. Use the internet and other reference sources to identify three facts that describe the
magnitude and nature of the problem. Each fact should be based on a different source.
Cite your references (8 marks):

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ANSWERS
1.
a. Plastic materials contain toxic chemicals that cause defects and diseases to bot human
beings and aquatic life when these chemicals are consumed either directly or
indirectly. Thus proves great need to control the coastal line.
b. The resent research has shown that littering of these plastic containers causes
detrimental effect to the environment by causing surrounding to be untidy, and
averagely the Government spend roughly $30 million (Cremiato et al., 2018) for the
preliminary clean up, production of these materials must be eliminated to halo save
on that amount
Ref: [2]U. Nations, "ban on plastic materials", 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.plastics.ca/PlasticTopics/IndustryIssues/PlasticBagBans. [Accessed: 02-
Oct- 2019].
c. Scientists proved that plastic items could take up to hundreds of thousands before
decomposing; being on the ground they block proper aeration of soil for
microorganisms in the soil
2.
a. Polystyrene containers, these are used in fast food shops and restaurants to wrap
takeaway foodstuffs to customers, when these materials are poorly disposed they
are carried away into the oceans causing pollution. (Xanthos & Walker, 2017)
b. Plastic wraps and bags, these are used by retailers and in the supermarket to
package shopped items to customers. Since the costs of these bags are not directly
transferred to consumer’s bills, they are carelessly disposed into the environment
thus causing pollution.

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c. Plastic Bottles. Commercial drinking water is packed in plastic bottles and are
commonly used by the majority. Since they are one time used items and when
carelessly disposed causes pollution either on land or water depending on the
place of disposal.( Pearson, 2019)
3. Plastic wraps have proved to be the most significant contributor of all kind of one-time-
use plastic since shopping and buying is a daily activity; the amount of these plastic bags
released to the environment are considerably high. (Geyer et al., 2017)
These materials are easily carried away by the wind to the oceans since wind generally
blows from highly raised region towards the ocean having with it plastic bags that
eventually find their way into the ocean. (Brooks et al., 2018)
The recent research has shown that plastic found in packaging and fast-moving consumer
goods forms the most extensive and segment of the plastic economy. On daily basis the
amount of plastic wraps used higher than any other plastic form.
4.
a. Use paper versions of plastic products that biodegrade – eliminating plastic waste by
substituting plastic with an alternative material (T- technical)
b. Proper waste management system - Eliminate careless disposal of plastic waste through
proper segregation of these wastes at the source. (T - Technical)
c. Embrace the use of tap water for drinking instead of bottled water - eliminates the
pollution caused by commercially bottled water. (B _ Behaviors)
d. Embrace the use of plastic six-pack ring, alternative straws made of glass or bamboo or
cardboard box - these eliminate the use of polystyrene for packaging since these items are
re-usable (T Technical)

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e. Imposing High taxes on plastic production will make producers hike prices of plastic
related products thus restraining many from their uses. (E - Economical)
f. Formulation of huge fines and penalties on individuals found disposing of plastic waste
and materials carelessly (B- Behavioral) and (E- Economical)
Fishbone Diagram
5.
a. (c) Use of tap water for drinking instead of bottled water
b. Health concerns on the condition of tap water
c. Purity and safety of tap water are not guaranteed.
d. Many fears that tap water may contain bacteria and germs that might cause stomach
complications

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e. This solely depends on individuals concert whether to adopt or not making it difficult to
implement
f. Supply of tapped water is not reliable in rural areas thus making this solution inapplicable
in rural areas
6. matters of health are critical, and thus many take precautions on what they consume in
terms of food and drinks, though tap water is purified and treated by Water Treatment
and Supply Agencies, possibility of it getting contaminated as it flows through the pipes
is considerable thus many sighs away from adopting this solution. (Brooks et al., 2018)
Most rural areas still lack proper connection to tap water, thus mostly rely on bottled
water for drinking, since bottled water is the immediate available from retail shops, hence
making it difficult to convince people from these areas to adopt this technique.( Arnold et
al., 2018 )
7. These menaces of plastic pollution to the environment can be solved once and for all,
through implementation of the techniques mentioned above, among others.
8. The issue of tap water to replace bottled water is possible only if: all parts of the country
are covered by the constant supply of tap water, conducting thorough sensitization of the
public on the effects of these plastics when carelessly disposed. (Leissner & Ryan-
Fogarty, 2019)
These challenges could be overcooled by conducting public sessions with the public
aiming at persuading then to embrace this behavioral practice show the merits of using
tap water and demerits of bottled water. (Brooks et al., 2018)

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9. Plastic waste deposited along the country's coastal lines interferes with the beautiful
serene at the beach, scaring tourist from having vacation in this places, this has a
detrimental effect on the lives of people depending on tourism and overall Gross
Domestic Products. This implies that tidiness of these places contributes a lot to welfare
to the nation. (Leissner & Ryan-Fogarty, 2019)
However bans on plastic bags, polystyrene, plastic bottles, and Styrofoam items can
effectively counter some of the symptoms of plastic overuse. However, better waste
management systems, along with circular thinking, can help achieve long-term solutions
to these problems
Steps for implementing these outlined solutions is through taking initiatives in
collaboration with any other department for the sustainability of a safer environment

CONTROL OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS 9
REFERENCES
Arnold, O., Kibbe, A., Hartig, T., & Kaiser, F. G. (2018). Capturing the
environmental impact of individual lifestyles: Evidence of the criterion validity of the
general ecological behavior scale. Environment and Behavior, 50(3), 350-372.
Brooks, A. L., Wang, S., & Jambeck, J. R. (2018). The Chinese import ban and its
impact on global plastic waste trade. Science advances, 4(6), eaat0131.
Cremiato, R., Mastellone, M. L., Tagliaferri, C., Zaccariello, L., & Lettieri, P.
(2018). Environmental impact of municipal solid waste management using Life Cycle
Assessment: The effect of anaerobic digestion, materials recovery, and secondary fuel
production. Renewable Energy, 124, 180-188.
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and the fate of
all plastics ever made. Science advances, 3(7), e1700782.
Leissner, S., & Ryan-Fogarty, Y. (2019). Challenges and opportunities for
reduction of single-use plastics in healthcare: A case study of single-use infant formula
bottles in two Irish maternity hospitals. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 151,
104462.
Pearson, M. (2019). Discouraging the Use of Single-Use Plastics through
Graphic Design Strategies (Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University).
Xanthos, D., & Walker, T. R. (2017). Foreign policies to reduce plastic marine
pollution from single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads): a review. Marine
pollution bulletin, 118(1-2), 17-26.