What (a) waste!
When the responsibility for managing the lifecycles of plastic waste is left to municipalities under restrictive capabilities for recycling, this responsibility further falls to the consumer of plastic products and packaging.
So, what does the average person’s plastic waste look like globally?
“In the chart we see the per capita rate of plastic waste generation, measured in kilograms per person per day. Here we see differences of around an order of magnitude: daily per capita plastic waste across the highest countries – Kuwait, Guyana, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, the United States – is more than ten times higher than across many countries such as India, Tanzania, Mozambique and Bangladesh.
Note that these figures represent total plastic waste generation and do not account for differences in waste management, recycling or incineration. They therefore do not represent quantities of plastic at risk of loss to the ocean or other waterways.” SOURCE
The image above outlines some striking differences in plastic consumption. Had you considered that the average person in the USA consumers more plastic waste than the average person in India? In fact, up to TEN times more! So where do we fit in here in North America as compared to the rest of the world?
In Episode 3, we take a look at some more statistics to help us better visualize the enormity of the plastic problem, and our contribution to global plastic waste per day…
We don’t want to stop at ‘doom and gloom’, however daunting these figures may seem.
As such, we would like to share a perspective from someone who chose to move to Prince Edward Island from Romania, bringing with her a minimalist perspective and positive attitude. Her name is Claudia Cotici, and she is an entrepreneur, blogger, graphic designer, sustainability advocate, and host of her own zero waste movement in PEI, Zero Waste Creative.
So what does a ‘zero waste’ movement look like? As Claudia describes in our podcast, ‘zero waste’ is a lofty goal. Reducing our plastic footprint can look like many things, but it does not have to be expensive, or elitist. She will explain how she came to fall in love with the stunning and peaceful province of PEI, how she sought to educate herself on challenges of reducing waste in eastern Canada, and some ways that you can stay motivated to make small changes in your home too.
Just remember: every negative decision made by each individual on this plant can have an impact on our environment. BUT this fact has a flip side - every positive decision does too!
Progress, and not perfection, will start us on this journey.