SvennoJ said:
Think the environment is gaining from Covid19?
Less planes, less traffic, sure, yet long term pollution is on the rise
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/plastics-bans-environmental-monitoring-get-short-shrift-during-pandemic-1.4951597
Plastic bags are back in full force, you're not even allowed to bring your own bags anymore.
Fear of contamination from reused packaging and the need to operate with reduced staff and with fewer interactions between people, prompted retailers to bar reusable packaging, from bags to coffee cups. Restaurants were forced to go to a take-out only model, pushing the need for plastic and Styrofoam containers through the roof.
And as the use of plastic containers went up, some cities were forced to cut back, or even cancel outright, municipal recycling programs.
Last week Calgary suspended blue-bin operations entirely because of a COVID-19 outbreak in the city's recycling plant. Edmonton has said about one-quarter of what it collects from blue bins is going to the landfill now because it don't have the staff to handle all the material. In eastern Ontario, Quinte Waste Solutions, which provides recycling to nine municipalities, suspended collection of most hazardous and electronic waste for proper disposal. In Nova Scotia, several recycling depots were closed.
Many environmental programs, regulations and inspections are suspended as well. The plastics industry is doing well.
The plastics industry has seen an uptick in demand in the midst of the virus, said Bob Masterson, the president of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada. "What I would say has changed is people, as a result of COVID, have a much better appreciation of the benefit of plastic as a sanitary material for the food industry," he said. Stores across the country rushed to wrap their checkout counters with plastic shields and equip their employees with plastic gloves and face shields. Demand for hand sanitizer -- mostly bottled in plastic -- soared.
Greenpeace disagrees
Sarah King, head of the oceans and plastics program at Greenpeace Canada, disputes that plastics are safer as a means to protect consumers. She said plastics have a place in the medical world but studies have shown the virus actually lives longer on plastic than any other material. A cloth bag that is washed regularly is less likely to be contaminated than a plastic one, she said. "There is a lot of misinformation about plastics as a healthy alternative," said King.
The problem is, people don't trust bringing bags (or other things) into stores, hence you can only get your groceries with store provided plastic bags.
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