Pitch
Creating a Plastics Commission for Measurement and Management of Plastic Packaging
Description
Summary / Résumé
This proposal advocates for a city-based Plastics Commission. It will serve as a nexus of organizations, businesses, and policymakers, to primarily measure the usage and disposal of plastics in the city, in order to prioritize management and reform, and shift from a linear system to a circular economy. As more of these are created across the globe, commissions can communicate amongst one another to further improve collaboration, and provide a system of ranking using established metrics. Many international organizations and companies, are already carrying out significant work in these areas. However, efforts in plastic innovation and recycling are highly fragmented. Moreover, statistics collected on types of plastics and their recycling rates are sparse due to a lack of disclosure in industries, and information usually cannot be found at the city level. This proposal will outline the creation of a Plastics Commission, with a focus on plastics-in-packaging commonly used by the food industry. There is more awareness and built around these sources of plastics, through striking images of bottles and bags in the ocean, and existing global campaigns promote awareness. These categories were selected with the city of Montreal in mind, which has already made headway in these efforts. Additionally, Montreal’s agri-food sector has a strong presence in the city’s economy. Developing a Commission with a standardized measurement tool can create the foundation for a robust and long-lasting circular economy. The proposal will also outline overarching solutions, the most notable one being a resource of the city’s plastics recovered from trash, landfills, or from recycling streams. This repository can be accessible through a publicly available database to view the scale and types of materials available to be repurposed and refurbished. These plastics can be sold to other manufacturers and industries within the city itself, and will encourage citizen or business innovation.
What actions do you propose? / Quelles actions proposez-vous?
Creation of the commission:
There is a need for an official coordinating body to assemble representatives to piece together fragments of recycling efforts, awareness, research, and innovation, and to close the loop on wasted plastic. The creation of a Plastics Commission will involve the cooperation of many actors in the city. This coalition will include the participation and guidance from municipal administrators and city officials, members of multinational corporations based in the city, local businesses and manufacturers, trade organizations, and partnership with local, national, or international not-for-profits. Examples of businesses in Montreal include representatives from the food and beverage industry, such as Agropur Cooperative, Gestion Bi-Eau Pure, and Danone. The Commission will also work with and implement some of the activities of the Plastic Disclosure Project, an organization that partners with corporations to measure their plastics use. (1) The creation of a Plastic Commission in Montreal will have the advantage of leveraging existing city programs, such as Sustainable Montréal 2016-2020, a collective of local government, not-for-profits, companies, and other organizations, which already includes in one of its four interventions, a transition to a more circular economy. Of the targets set, one of them is to “meet governmental recovery objectives for recyclable material (70%) and organic materials (60%) by 2020.” (2) Having a separate entity that endeavors in the measurement and management of only plastics will address the difficulties of this material in the waste and recycling stream, and will shed light on priorities for the city.
In other cities where such green initiatives have not initiated, representatives from various citizen groups, not-for-profits, as well as global corporations, can introduce a city-wide commission, even with limited government assistance. This Commission could begin in a small way, by measuring smaller yet salient sources of plastic packaging, such as plastic straws, in a few neighborhoods. An official entity specifically for plastics is needed for three primary reasons:
1. Plastic packaging often has a very short lifespan, compared to its disproportionately longer, and more hazardous, end-of-life disposal.
2. It is necessary to disaggregate plastic recycling from other types, since not all plastics have the same compound or resin type, and solutions cannot be addressed easily when viewing it as part of other waste.
3. Plastic littered in one region can spread through waterways and sewage systems, and pollute oceans and other regions of the world. Microplastics can be difficult to extract, and harm marine life, as well as human health. By measuring plastics city by city, these issues can be addressed in a more systematic and effective way.
Measurement of Plastics:
The primary importance for the development of an official body, in addition to the coordination of skills and knowledge, is for the measurement of plastics in the city. Measurement at the city level is important rather than solely relying on existing plastic use, recycling, and pollution data, from outside institutions, since the culture of a city can vary greatly. For example, in cities of India, small chai cups are commonly littered, and in parts of Europe where smoking is predominant, cigarettes (a source of plastic pollution from its filters) is of greater concern. Moreover, not all cities accept every type of plastic for recycling, and there are differences in recycling plant capabilities, as well as collection programs. Therefore, a baseline measurement can illuminate areas to concentrate efforts and resources. Input and output tables, and datasets (in the form of usage and end-of-life recycling and disposal rates) can be developed modeling Denmark’s Statistics Denmark project, which lists all natural resources and materials flowing through the economy. (3)
The following steps will also apply to plastic-in-packaging from the food industry. However, over time it should be the goal of the Plastics Commission to measure other types of plastics from a variety of sectors, including but not limited to the toy, tobacco, pharmaceutical, and durable household goods industries, all along the supply chain. (4)
Measurement will focus on collecting the following data-points:
- Volume of plastic packaging imported into or manufactured by the city, aggregated through disclosure by companies, grocers, and industries throughout the city, and estimated through sales. Existing tools used by companies already can be leveraged to aggregate data for city-wide consumption and use, using resources such as Plastic Disclosure Project, Material IQ, and Plastic Scorecard. (5)
- Categories for end-of-life plastic packaging. Plastic packaging can either be reused, thrown in the trash (where it is either sent to a landfill or incinerated), or recycled, both at a household level, throughout the city, or at a commercial level. Montreal has 19 boroughs, and investigating the recycling of plastics through measuring collection, and/or the nearest recycling center data are more data-points to be collected. This will depend on the city’s recycling infrastructure, and to what extent plastics are sorted either through automation or manually. Apps such as Litterati can be use to identify and note brands of litter found. (6)
- Baseline measurement on ecological damage in the city: Damage can be quantified monetarily, either through using pollution metrics set by UNEP and the Plastic Disclosure Project, or through projecting the cost to clean up and restore the environment.
The measurement of plastic-in-packaging throughout the city will illuminate the greatest area of need in terms of recycling reform or change in collection methods, as well as the corporations or retailers with the highest volume of plastic waste. Through data collection, it can be clearly seen what type of plastics are missing from the recycling stream, or are more predominant in litter or landfills.
With measurement and data, metrics can be established to meet certain goals for coming years, much like strategies surrounding carbon emissions. The common saying “what gets measured gets managed” truly applies to implementing a circular economy around plastics.
Solutions:
After measurement, solutions can be discussed, assessed, and implemented, and can be particular to each city.
Through analyzing baseline data collected, the Commission can focus their efforts on the predominant sources of plastic packaging waste, concentrate on specific products, and establish metrics for improvement. These will vary by city, and will be dependent upon the prevailing industries, businesses, and culture of the region.
The Plastic Commission can partner with organizations that are members of the Plastic Pollution Coalition to implement substitutes for plastic packaging, or encourage local businesses to join as well. (7) The Plastic Commission can model and implement the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP)’s Courtald Commitment, which has created a network of grocers in the UK and is moving through it’s third phase in the program, the previous of which found new solutions for packaging, and reduced the carbon impact of packaging. (8).
Food companies or large grocers based in the city can be encouraged to conduct their own recycling efforts, including take-back programs, or implement their own collection sites in public spaces. Additional solutions include refunding customers who return certain types of plastic packaging to large grocers (i.e. yogurt containers, plastic bottles, etc.) at a certain percentage of the original price, or offer store credit.
Working with groups that even advocate for the use of plastics can be insightful, as the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, which has assisted with recycling of polystyrene Montreal’s many Écocentres in the past, and has shed a light on the hidden industry demand for these recycled products.
Using recovered plastic waste within the city itself can have a symbolic effect, and can stimulate demand for recycled materials. For example, in China at Suzhou New District, there are many manufacturing firms that use recovered copper waste from a nearby park to develop circuit boards. (9) Extracting larger plastics from nearby bodies of water, such as the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, can explore the issue of plastic pollution in our waters, while also assisting with the circular use of plastic. St. Lawrence River was recently found to be polluted with microplastics on the same level as some of the most contaminated oceans elsewhere in the world. (10) Collecting and cleaning plastic litter and waste throughout the city, creating a storage or warehouse for these materials, and making this database of recovered plastic resources publicly available, can ignite innovation, and create a mini economy within the city. Industries such as those in textile, athletic goods, or construction, can purchase these materials to be refurbished. The government can subsidize these materials, as done in South Africa, to further invigorate demand, when often recycled material prices are higher than virgin materials. (11) Creating a resource of recycled plastic that can be shared or traded among business and industries in the city can protect manufacturers from price fluctuations of oil, which greatly affects the plastics economy. Finally, visually appealing public structures, or monuments can be built from recycled plastic recovered from the city or rivers, as a symbol of the city’s commitment to a circular economy. Montreal has already worked in this area, through its Green Plan of installing recycled furniture in public spaces.
Which types of stakeholders are involved, in which way? / Quels types de parties prenantes sont impliqués, de quelle façon?
Individual businesses and representatives from industry associations, municipal officials and policymakers, (i.e. those involved in the Sustainable Montreal program), representatives from different government departments (for example Finance, Environment, Food/Agriculture, Energy), international organizations and not-for-profits working with improving plastic measurement and recycling including the Plastic Disclosure Project, and WRAP, and the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
How could the actions be scaled up at the neighborhood or city level? / Comment serait-il possible d'augmenter la portée des actions à l'échelle des quartiers ou de la ville?
The Plastics Commission will be a coalition of actors across different organizations and corporations throughout the city, as well as local government members. In addition, measurement activities will take place across all 19 boroughs, in order to identify recycling patterns. Recycling centers and landfills throughout the city will be investigated and measured. Existing neighborhood collection programs will be compared to each other as well, in order to determine how and where to scale up efforts. In cities where there is limited government involvement with environmental initiatives, or where there is no infrastructure for recycling plastics, efforts can start at a neighborhood level with primary recycling measures through citizen awareness building and participation from existing not-for-profits and grassroots organizations. In this scenario, representatives from corporations and larger groups can be included once societal pressure and enough awareness has amassed.
What impact will these actions have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change? / Quels impacts auront ces actions sur la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre et l'adaptation aux changements climatiques?
Measurement of plastics can illuminate changes to be made which can affect the following areas:
- Greater recycling saves production and manufacturing GHG emissions
- Measuring plastic incineration rates can reduce air pollution
- Less toxic chemicals leaching into the environment from improper disposal and unconfined landfills
- Less ocean pollution and harm to marine life, can mitigate clogged sewages and waterways, as well as eutrophication
- Recycling saves fossil fuel use, or cuts down energy needed for repurposing a product with recycled materials
What are the other environmental, economic or social benefits? / Quels sont les autres bénéfices environnementaux, économiques et sociaux?
- Opportunity for business growth and innovation from recovery of plastic packaging throughout the city
- Economic and social value for companies in the city to save on sourcing of plastic materials, improved brand reputation
What are the most innovative aspects and main strengths of this approach? / Quels sont les aspects novateurs et les principales forces de cette approche?
- This proposal views measurement as the most significant step towards creating a circular economy with plastics. It shapes plastic as a new urban resource, instead of just waste, one that can potentially be ‘mined’ from trash and saved from landfills to be used within the city itself.
- It is a model that can be replicated in other cities, to varying degrees of speed and implementation (depending upon existing regulations and structures, government involvement, and the culture around green initiatives). It only requires the power of curious minds to coordinate and collect data throughout their neighborhoods and city.
What are the proposal’s projected costs? / Quels sont les coûts projetés de la proposition?
These will vary depending on each city, since there are different levels of infrastructure and organizations or policies already in place in certain areas.
What are the potential challenges or obstacles? / Quels sont les défis ou les obstacles potentiels?
- The initial formation of the Commission in cities with limited environmental efforts or recycling centers, especially in developing cities across Asia and Latin America. However, measurement can still take place, which is the most important aspect of this proposal. One possible solution in areas that have little municipal support or existing infrastructure, is that multinational corporations can establish ‘away from home’ collection programs.
- Measurement of plastics, specifically plastic packaging in landfills, or percentage that is incinerated.
About the authors / À propos des auteur(e)s
Rumya R. is a graduate from the Mailman School of Public Health, and has worked in the healthcare sector for the past several years. She is very passionate about environmental issues, especially sustainability in plastics, and envisions a future where the intelligent use of refuse can lead to a healthier planet.
References / Références
- http://plasticdisclosure.org/
- http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/page/d_durable_en/media/documents/plan_de_dd_en_lr.pdf
- https://www.dst.dk/en
- https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics-catalysing-action
- http://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/10757
- https://www.litterati.org
- http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/the-coalition/
- http://www.wrap.org.uk/category/initiatives/courtauld-commitment
- Mathews, J. A., & Tan, H. (2011). Progress Toward a Circular Economy in China. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 15(3), 435-457. doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2011.00332.x.
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140918162317.htm
- http://petco.co.za
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