Control of Single Use Plastics

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

CONTROL OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS 3
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):