Transcript RAP_bag presentation- EC for CB - Carolina Beach Town, North

Rise Above Plastic Program
From Awareness to Action
By
Ethan A. Crouch
Cape Fear Chapter Chair
What is Rise Above Plastics?
An active strategic
program with the
mission to reduce the
impacts of plastics in
the marine
environment by raising
awareness about the
dangers of plastic
pollution and by
advocating for a
reduction of single-use
plastics and the
recycling of all plastics.
Why RISE ABOVE PLASTICS?
ACCUMULATION
Some parts of the ocean are like a plastic soup,
where there are six pounds of plastic for every
pound of plankton.
Approx. 60-80% of marine debris is composed of
plastics
Approx. 80% of marine debris is from land-based
sources
Why RISE ABOVE PLASTICS?
MARINE LIFE MORTALITY
-Over 100,000 marine mammals die each year from ingestion
or entanglement in plastics and over 1 million sea birds
- 60-80% of marine debris is composed of plastics
- 80% of marine debris is from land-based sources
Why RISE ABOVE PLASTICS?
GENERATION
-The Guinness Book
of World Records
named the plastic
bag as the most
ubiquitous consumer
product of 2009,
produced on the
worldwide scale by
the trillions. Approx.
1 million bags are
used every minute.
- Each year, over 24
billion lbs of single
use plastic packing is
produced.
Graph by California Integrated Waste Management Board's "Plastic White
Paper”
*There will be more plastic made in the first decade of this century
than was produced in the entire preceding century.
Co$t of Plastics
In the United States alone, an estimated 12 million
barrels of oil is used annually to make plastic bags that
Americans consume, which works out to over 100
billion (bags) per year.
Manufacturing of plastic bags uses 4 percent of the
world’s TOTAL oil production.
Impact of manufacturing 9 plastic bags is greater
than that of driving a car 6/10 of a mile. This means that the
annual consumption of plastic bags in US (100 billion) is the
equivalent of driving a car 6.67 billion miles…or
more than 35 round trips from the Earth to the Sun.
Each ton of recycled bags saves the energy
equivalent of 11 barrels of oil.
EPA estimates only 12% of plastic bags are
being recycled.
In 2011 alone we placed 200 million plastic
bags into landfills.
It costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1
ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on
the commodities market for $32
Impacts of Plastics
on Marine Systems
Once plastic has photodegraded to minute
pieces in our oceans (often called a plastic
soup), these small pieces of plastic are often
mistaken by fish, birds or marine
mammals and reptiles as food. Plastic
particles provide no nutrients. As animals
continue to feed on plastic, they take in more
and more plastic material until they slowly
starve to death.
plastic does not biodegrade, it just breaks into smaller
pieces - this jar of tiny pieces of plastic was collected
from one beach, in one visit - rise above plastics
(please share this image)
According to research done by Captain Charles
Moore on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it has
been found that there are six pounds of
plastic for every pound of plankton in
the area.
turtles ingest marine debris
debris, such as plastic bags, look similar to, and are mistaken
for jellyfish.
Studies on dead turtles reported ingestion of marine debris in 79.6%
of the turtles from the Western Mediterranean (Tomas et al. 2002),
60.5% of turtles in Southern Brazil (Bugoni et al. 2001) and 56% of
turtles in Florida (Bjordal et al. 1994).
267 different species are known to have suffered from
entanglement or ingestion of marine debris including
seabirds, turtles, seals, sea lions, whales and fish.
Plastic is found floating in all the world’s oceans,
everywhere from polar region to the equator.
Greenpeace. Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans.
Impacts of Plastics
on Human Health
A good bit of plastic created contains
a chemical called Bisphenol A
(BPA) which is an organic compound used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy
resins amongst other things. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) raised further concerns regarding exposure of
fetuses, infants and young children. In September 2010, Canada became the
first country to declare BPA as a toxic substance. In the European Union and Canada,
BPA use is banned in baby bottles.
Documented studies link BPA ingestion and
exposure to animals and humans with issues of
Obesity, Neurological issues, Thyroid Function,
Breast Cancer, Neuroblastoma, Prostate
development cancer, DNA methylation, and issues
with the reproductive system and sexual behavior.
As animals continue to ingest this plastic and the
chemical BPA and are then eaten, through a
process called bio-concentration, the chemical
makeup becomes more concentrated.
In general, studies have shown that BPA can
affect growth, reproduction and development in
aquatic organisms. Among freshwater
organisms, fish appear to be the most sensitive
species.
BPA can contaminate the environment either
directly or through degradation of products
containing BPA, such as ocean-borne plastic
trash.
In essence, as we continue to rely on plastic bags and
single use plastics, we are poisoning our food stream
from the very base level up and exposing ourselves to
serious health risks and possible infertility as the
species is exposed to the chemical.
Of more than ten million pieces of garbage
picked up on ocean beaches in 2009 during
International Coastal Cleanup Day, 1,126,774
were plastic bags. Plastic bag debris was second
only to cigarette butts/filters (21%) in number
and accounted for full 11% of ALL marine debris
picked up.
International Coastal Cleanup sponsored by Ocean Conservancy Report. September 2010
Plastic Pollution Devalues Our
Economy and Threatens Jobs
Plastic litters our beaches, exacts a toll on our
environment, and costs cities money to clean
up. In fact, plastic pollution alone is
costing developing and industrialized
nations up to $1.3 billion annually as
it threatens the fishing, shipping and
tourism industries.
The total cost of litter collection, disposal and enforcement in the U.S. is
estimated to be at least $11.5 billion annually. Businesses bear the
burden of this cost, spending $9.1 billion annually and representing 79.5% of
the total cost of litter abatement.
Over 123,000 tons of plastic grocery and merchandise bags comprise the
California waste stream.[1] This is equivalent to 16 billion plastic bags.[2]
Cities have estimated that the taxpayer cost to subsidize the recycling,
collection, and disposal of plastic and paper bags amounts to as much as 17
cents per bag.[i] Each year, San Francisco estimates it spends $8.5
million in plastic bag clean up [1].
States, cities, and counties together spend $1.3 billion on general litter
abatement.[iv] These are taxpayer dollars out of your pocket to subsidize the
cost of waste. Much of this money could otherwise be redirected to pay for
much needed public services such as parks, libraries, and public
safety.
Retailers spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually to provide single-use bags to
customers. For example, supermarkets can spend up to $1,500 to $6,000 a
month just to provide single-use bags to their customers at the check-out.[v] Even
major retailers such as Target and CVS are realizing this significant cost burden and
are offering discount incentives to customers who bring their own bags.[vi]
Stores typically pay 2 to 5 cents per plastic bag; these costs are
embedded in food prices which are then passed onto consumers.[vii]
Paper bags are not a good alternative to plastic single-use bags because like
disposable plastic bags they come with their own costs to the environment. Although
some paper bags contain no old-growth fiber, contain some post-consumer recycled
content and are recyclable, the production of most paper bags contributes to
deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and additional
waterborne wastes.[viii]
Stores typically pay more for paper bags than plastic, anywhere from 5
to 23 cents per bag; these costs are then embedded in the food
prices which are eventually passed on to consumers.[ix]
Rise Above Plastics: Solutions

Use Grassroots Activism for

Education and Awareness
Presentations in the Community
 Presentations at schools
 Media and Websites


Advocating Legislative Changes
Local Ordinances
 Polystyrene
 Bags
 Bottles
 Statewide or Fed Legislation
 Bag Fees/Ban & Bottle Recycling

-In the US Currently 133 cities and counties in the US have a bag regulation ordinance in place.
-Around the world 29 countries have plastic bag legislation.
-In NC the outer banks has had a successful plastic bag ordinance in place for 5 years.
Rise Above Plastics Success: LA
• County ban on single-use bags
and 10 cent fee on paper bags
• Enacted November 17, 2010
after a full Environmental
Impact Report
• Employed economic data for
litter clean-up costs
• Several other cities following
suit: Calabasas, Long Beach, LA
City
Rise Above Plastics Success: DC
• Anacostia River Clean Up Act passed 6/09 effective 1/10 for a 5 cent
fee on all single use bags
• Affected establishments issued about 3.3 million bags in January
2010, which was a significant 86 percent decrease from the
estimated 22.5 million bags issued per month in 2009.
• The Alice Ferguson Foundation reports that since implementation
of the bag fee there has been a reduction in plastic bag litter by
66% in river cleanups
-Safeway grocery stores donated 10,000
bags to low-income families when the
bill went into effect
-Coalition of 30 environmental groups,
with dozens of grocery stores and
businesses on board
In only three weeks of the five-cent fee,
demand for bags at grocery stores dropped
50-60 percent!
The Alice Ferguson Foundation reports that
since implementation of the bag fee there has
been a reduction in plastic bag litter by 66% in
river cleanups.
What should we do in Carolina Beach,
New Hanover County, and the State
of North Carolina?
• Implement policy & legislation to reduce
demand of single use plastic grocery bags.
– Point of sale is most efficient & enforceable policy
– Various types of ordinances with demonstrated
success:
•
•
•
•
Ban on Plastic – Fee on Paper (OBX)
Fee on Plastic (Washington, DC)
Gradual roll out
Sq.ft limitations on stores
– Ongoing Public Education & Awareness
What are we asking city council to
do tonight?
1)
2)
3)
Support our precious marine environment!
Create an AD HOC committee to develop a plastic bag
reduction ordinance and enact this ordinance to reduce
single use plastic bags in Carolina Beach.
Support our efforts with New Hanover County
Commissioners to pass legislation on plastic and paper bags
similar to programs created in Washington DC, Portland OR,
Seattle WA, San Francisco CA, Los Angeles CA.