With the Sunshine Coast’s landfill nearing capacity at an alarming rate, more must be done to combat the flow of refuse locally.
When you couple our community’s stagnant waste diversion rate with shocking images in the June 2018 issue of National Geographic: Planet or Plastic? , you can see the global crisis we are facing. The issue is dedicated to bringing awareness and inspiring action in regards to the discarded plastics catastrophe our world is facing. The magazine has also pledged to discontinue its use of a plastic wrap for new issues. Hopefully, other publications will follow suit. Or maybe consumers will choose to read the electronic versions instead.
And it ultimately comes down to choice – as individuals, we can say no to the single-use items or be prepared with reusable items. Reducing what we consume and reusing what we already have goes a long way to combating the waste we generate. Aversion to single use negates the need to divert.
Hopefully, the leadership taken by Victoria and Vancouver city councils will be followed by other municipal leaders. We are out of time for planning, we need action.
- VOTE. BC Municipal Elections are coming up this October. Find candidates that will take lead your community to find better solid waste solutions. Or put your name forward as a candidate. That’s what I’m doing – running in Halfmoon Bay for Sunshine Coast Regional District Director.
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There are small things we can do to cut out the use of disposable products in our daily routines with planning ahead and reusing items already in our homes. Here’s a great article showcasing some small steps to start you on the plastic-free path.
- Zero Waste Canada has some great resources to help with your choices:
- And if you do have to use and recycle, here’s our local SCRD Recycling Brochure
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/plastic-free-cut-waste-kitchen-food-storage-1.4667810
- https://zerowastecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Zero-Waste-Starter-Kit.pdf
- https://zerowastecanada.ca
- https://zerowastecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BreakFreeFromPlastics.pdf